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NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF OYSTER ISSUE N 73 WINTER 2011<br />

O<br />

IN THIS ISSUE – THE NEW OYSTER 825, OYSTER REGATTA PALMA<br />

AND THE OYSTER 100 REVIEW


CONTENTS<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

ISSUE N O 73 WINTER 2011<br />

�� �� �� ��<br />

��� �WELCOME�<br />

David Tydeman<br />

��� �OYSTER LIFE<br />

News from the World of <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

��� �OYSTER REGATTA PALMA<br />

Louay Habib<br />

��� OYSTER AT THE BOAT SHOWS<br />

��� �THE WONDERFUL WORLD<br />

BELOW THE WAVES<br />

Virginia Dimsey<br />

��� �THE OYSTER 100 BY DUBOIS<br />

FRONT COVER PICTURE<br />

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS<br />

Photo: Mike Jones<br />

Louay Habib<br />

� e <strong>Oyster</strong> 625, Blue Jeannie<br />

in the emerald waters of<br />

Jonathon Medway<br />

Costa Smeralda, Sardinia PRODUCTION EDITOR<br />

EDITOR<br />

Liz Whitman<br />

Rebecca Twiss<br />

��� �OYSTER DESIGN REVIEW<br />

��� �INTRODUCING THE NEW OYSTER 825<br />

��� �ROW TO THE POLE<br />

Jock Wishart<br />

��� �MISS TIPPY – REFLECTIONS<br />

Brian and Sheila Norton<br />

��� �OYSTER CUSTOMER SERVICES<br />

��� �DOWNWIND SAILING<br />

Matthew Vincent<br />

��� �SULANA IN NOVA SCOTIA<br />

James Grazebrook<br />

FROM THE EDITOR<br />

We publish <strong>Oyster</strong> News twice a year and we know from our readers that<br />

the articles they most enjoy reading about are the contributions from <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

owners. If you have a story to tell or information about cruising in your <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

please let us know. Photographs are always welcome with or without a story.<br />

email: liz.whitman@oystermarine.com<br />

or rebecca.twiss@oystermarine.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> News is published by <strong>Oyster</strong> Marine Ltd. <strong>Oyster</strong> News is for promotional purposes only, privately circulated, and cannot form part of any contract<br />

or off er. Views, details and information herein are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher who will not be held responsible for the consequences of any<br />

error or omission. Pictures and illustrations are liable to show non standard equipment.<br />

�� ��<br />

��� �OYSTER WORLD RALLY<br />

��� �GONE WITH THE WIND<br />

Stephen Hyde<br />

��� �INDIA<br />

Liz Cleere and Jamie Furlong<br />

��� �THE 26TH ARC<br />

Jonathon Medway<br />

���� �OUR CRUISING LIFE<br />

Mike and Devala Robinson<br />

���� ON THEIR WAY


WELCOME<br />

In this complicated world that we find ourselves living in, it is great to read the latest stories<br />

of <strong>Oyster</strong> owners as they escape and adventure across the high seas and to know that here<br />

at <strong>Oyster</strong> we have played a small part in realising those dreams and ambitions.<br />

Health, time and the means to be able to go sailing are o�en thought<br />

about in reverse order and I reflect on one <strong>Oyster</strong> owner who two years<br />

ago was diagnosed with having only a few months to live. I’m delighted<br />

to note that he is currently enjoying a long passage aboard his new <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

and keeping the doctors at bay!<br />

We all have different reasons to choose to buy a yacht and four out<br />

of the first five of the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 625s were sold to owners new to <strong>Oyster</strong>.<br />

In contrast, hull numbers 6 to 10 have been sold to existing owners trading<br />

up and, as I write this, we’ve just signed the contract on the third new<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 885 to an existing <strong>Oyster</strong> owner for July 2013 delivery.<br />

A�er four years of hard work, the <strong>Oyster</strong> 100 by Dubois is now sailing,<br />

and she is a delight – her Dubois hull lines are clean and she slips along<br />

beautifully, a credit to all who have been involved in her design, project<br />

management and build and she is already attracting much acclaim from<br />

the yachting press.<br />

We’re planning some exciting developments with our team based in<br />

Southampton. Plans include expanding how we use the specialist knowledge<br />

in our Custom and Refit subsidiary, Southampton Yacht Services, opening the<br />

door to new ideas and creating an <strong>Oyster</strong> ‘big boat’ centre in the Solent.<br />

We have over 30 yachts signed up for the <strong>Oyster</strong> World Rally, which sets<br />

out from Antigua on 6 January 2013, with a waiting list for this first event and<br />

many requests for us to run another one. We’ll contemplate that once the<br />

first event is underway, with the earliest possible start being January 2015.<br />

WINTER 2011<br />

�e 27th <strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta took place in Palma this September with<br />

30 yachts from nine different countries, ranging from Brazil to Russia,<br />

taking part. Next year, through popular demand, we plan to provide<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> owners with a Regatta in the British Virgin Islands in April,<br />

a Rendezvous in Newport RI, USA, linked to the America’s Cup Series<br />

in June, a Regatta hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes<br />

to celebrate the London Olympics in July and a return to Palma<br />

in September for our annual Mediterranean regatta.<br />

My thanks, as ever, for the passionate hard work by all the team<br />

here at <strong>Oyster</strong>, without whom none of this would be possible.<br />

Sincere regards to you all,<br />

David Tydeman<br />

CEO, <strong>Oyster</strong> Group<br />

david.tydeman@oystermarine.com<br />

3


4<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> life H<br />

OYSTER 625 ON SHOW IN GERMANY AND MIAMI<br />

�e stunning, new <strong>Oyster</strong> 625, nominated<br />

for the European Yacht of the Year, will<br />

make her German and American debuts<br />

at the start of 2012. <strong>Oyster</strong> 625/03 will<br />

be certain to attract a lot of attention<br />

at Boot Düsseldorf in January, whilst<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 625/02 will cross the Atlantic<br />

before heading to Florida where she<br />

will make her US debut at the Miami<br />

International Yacht Show in February.<br />

�e perfect excuse to plan a holiday<br />

in the Florida sunshine!<br />

NEW OYSTER 825 LAUNCHED<br />

Announced at the end of 2011, the<br />

sale of the first of the exceptional,<br />

new <strong>Oyster</strong> 825s, is already agreed<br />

with a European buyer for delivery<br />

in 2013. �e <strong>Oyster</strong> 825, with clean<br />

and easily driven hull lines drawn<br />

by Rob Humphreys and detailed<br />

engineering developed by the <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

E A D L I N E S FRO M<br />

THE WORLD OF OYSTER<br />

BIG GUNS SET FOR ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK<br />

�e stunning <strong>Oyster</strong> 82, Starry Night of the Caribbean,<br />

will be gracing the waters off Antigua next year where she<br />

will be racing against many well known yachts in the big<br />

boat division of this annual sailing spectacular, including<br />

the magnificent Drumfire, winner of this year’s Superyacht<br />

Cup in Palma and Peter Harrison’s Sojana, winner of this<br />

year’s Lord Nelson Trophy. Starry Night will start her<br />

Caribbean campaign with some gentle practice at next<br />

year’s <strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta in the BVI in April.<br />

Design Team, features <strong>Oyster</strong>’s latest<br />

striking and contemporary styling,<br />

first seen with the highly successful<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 625, of which 10 are now<br />

already sold. Tooling is already well<br />

underway and production will start at<br />

Southampton Yacht Services early in<br />

2012. See pages 41-43 for more details.


OYSTER REGATTAS 2012<br />

OYSTER LIFE<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong>’s in-house marketing and events team are preparing for another busy year with a number<br />

of events planned exclusively for <strong>Oyster</strong> owners to enjoy with their family and friends.<br />

BVI 2 – 7 APRIL 2012<br />

Always a favourite destination, the beautiful British Virgin Islands never fail to provide a stunning<br />

location for an <strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta and we look forward to seeing a large fleet of <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong> on the<br />

docks at Nanny Cay Marina, Tortola for the start of our fi�h BVI regatta. �e fleet will race around<br />

the chain of islands, which will include a two-night stay and Lay Day at the famous Bitter End<br />

Yacht Club.<br />

COWES 9 – 14 JULY 2012<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong>’s Cowes Regatta, hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron and planned to celebrate the 2012<br />

London Olympics, is already attracting a large fleet of <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong>. Owners can look forward to<br />

enjoying the impeccable hospitality at the Squadron’s stately Castle overlooking the Solent and the<br />

really unique opportunity to dine aboard HMS Warrior, Britain’s first iron-hulled warship, <strong>launched</strong> in<br />

1860. A special Olympic year J-Class event, which is expected to attract the largest fleet of J-Class<br />

yachts ever seen racing together in the Solent, starts on 18 July, just a�er the <strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta, and is<br />

sure to provide a stunning spectacle. �ere will be no better place to view this event than from the<br />

deck of your <strong>Oyster</strong>!<br />

PALMA 25 – 29 SEPTEMBER 2012<br />

Our 2011 regatta saw a record fleet of 30 <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong> grace the docks at the beautiful<br />

Real Club Nautico, provisional plans are in place for the Club to host another event in 2012.<br />

For further information on any of these regattas please contact Jacqui Kotze at:<br />

+44 (0)1473 688 888 or email: jacqui.kotze@oystermarine.com<br />

AROUND THE WORLD OYSTERS<br />

Peter and Virginia Dimsey recently<br />

completed their circumnavigation when<br />

they sailed their <strong>Oyster</strong> 62, Saildance II<br />

back into Southampton Water, flying the<br />

courtesy flags of some of the 50 places<br />

they had visited on their way around<br />

the world. Saildance II was built at<br />

Southampton Yacht Services and she<br />

returned almost exactly six years to<br />

the day she set out. Peter commented:<br />

“Don’t wait, go as soon as you can. It is<br />

the experience of a lifetime. Your <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

can take you to places most people don’t<br />

even know exist.”<br />

Also completing circumnavigations<br />

this year were Brian Oakley and Jacqui<br />

Palmer with their <strong>Oyster</strong> 39, Songster,<br />

which was <strong>launched</strong> in 1979. Brian and<br />

Jacqui set out from the Mediterranean<br />

in May 2002 and returned this year.<br />

Chris Smith and Fiona Campbell completed<br />

their 12-year circumnavigation in their<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 55 Carelbi when they returned<br />

to Crete in April this year, having set out<br />

in 1999.<br />

65 DEGREES SOUTH – UHURU’S SOUTHERN ADVENTURE<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> is hosting an illustrated talk by the owner of <strong>Oyster</strong> 62 UHURU, Steve Powell,<br />

and Richard Haworth of High Latitudes, about their cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula.<br />

�e event will start at 11:00 and is being held at the London Boat Show at ExCeL on<br />

Sunday 8 January. You can read about Steve’s trip in <strong>Oyster</strong> News issue 72, available<br />

online in the News section of the <strong>Oyster</strong> website.<br />

For further information, or to apply for tickets, which are with <strong>Oyster</strong>’s compliments,<br />

please contact: jacqui.kotze@oystermarine.com<br />

WINTER 2011 5


6<br />

OYSTERS IN THE BIG APPLE<br />

NEWPORT RENDEZVOUS – JUNE/JULY 2012<br />

Timed to coincide with the America’s Cup World Series,<br />

which takes place in Newport from 23 June to 1 July, planning<br />

is underway for a Newport <strong>Oyster</strong> Rendezvous. It’s expected<br />

the programme will include dinner at the Herreshoff Museum,<br />

some low-key racing and the opportunity to spectate<br />

the America’s Cup on water activity. Owners who would<br />

like to take part should register their interest with<br />

Molly Marston in our US o�ce, call: +1 401 846 7400<br />

or email: molly.marston@oystermarine.com<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

OWNERS PARTY IN<br />

ANNAPOLIS<br />

Alan and Sue Brook’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 56, Sulana,<br />

and John Noble’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 655, Neki,<br />

both sailed into New York in style earlier<br />

this year. As Alan on Sulana recalls:<br />

“We had the wonderful experience of<br />

being met by no less than five Police<br />

and US Coastguard vessels, all with<br />

blue lights flashing, who stopped us<br />

just before we were due to go under<br />

the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the<br />

double-decked suspension bridge at the<br />

gateway into New York Harbor and the<br />

Hudson River! Sulana was cornered off<br />

by the giant RIBs and patrol cra� of the<br />

New York Police Department, New Jersey<br />

Harbour Police, Environmental Agency<br />

Police and the Coastguard. �ey never<br />

did say why we had been stopped, but<br />

they suddenly all disappeared, heading<br />

into the distance, at the same time<br />

shouting to us to have a nice day!”<br />

Owners were out in force at<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong>’s annual Annapolis Show<br />

party in October, during which<br />

Sales Director, Robin Campbell,<br />

was delighted to present Tom<br />

and Gretchen Carbaugh with<br />

their <strong>Oyster</strong> Circumnavigator’s<br />

award. Tom and Gretchen’s<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 53, Glass Slipper,<br />

is the 40th <strong>Oyster</strong> to complete<br />

a circumnavigation. �e Carbaugh’s<br />

set out from Lanzarote in 2002,<br />

returning there earlier this year. Tom commented: “�e <strong>Oyster</strong> team<br />

has been fundamental to our successful circumnavigation which<br />

is mightily appreciated!”<br />

NEW PALMA BASE FOR OYSTER<br />

We are delighted to be able to<br />

announce the opening of a new<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> O�ce in Palma, Mallorca,<br />

which will offer owners and their crews<br />

a convenient Mediterranean location for<br />

Customer Service and Support and an<br />

alternative base afloat for some of the<br />

<strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong> on the Brokerage listings.<br />

�e o�ce, which will be fully open<br />

by the start of 2012, is located in the<br />

STP Shipyard, close to the city centre<br />

and will be manned by our own team<br />

with representatives from our Customer<br />

Service, Brokerage and Charter<br />

operations. �ose owners with crew<br />

may like to make them aware of this<br />

facility, where they will be very welcome<br />

to use the o�ce as their home base for<br />

Wi-Fi access and post when in Mallorca.<br />

If you would like to know more<br />

or have any queries please don’t<br />

hesitate to contact us at<br />

customerservice@oystermarine.com


OYSTER TEAM ON BOARD HMS DAUNTLESS<br />

OYSTER LIFE<br />

WORLD CHAMPION SAILOR<br />

Congratulations to <strong>Oyster</strong> Production Director,<br />

Mike Taylor’s son, Will Taylor, who at just 14 years old<br />

sailed his way to victory in the recent RS Tera World<br />

Championships in Denmark to take the World Title<br />

in style. Will’s lead was so convincing that he had a<br />

whole day (two races) to spare over nearest rivals,<br />

the Italian team. Despite a couple of poor starts,<br />

Will gave a master class to the fleet on how to sail<br />

a boat quickly, dominating the fleet with outstanding<br />

pace and consistency throughout the championship.<br />

Four members of the team from the <strong>Oyster</strong> Group were invited to join the Royal Navy’s<br />

HMS Dauntless for an overnight passage from Portsmouth to London. Sarah Harmer, Customer<br />

Service Manager, Alan Harmer, Project Manager, Regine Watts, Sales Administrator and Barry<br />

Argent from Southampton Yacht Services, were the lucky ones whose names were drawn<br />

out of the hat to make the trip, which included ‘hands-on’ demonstrations in firing the guns<br />

and a helicopter ride from the flight deck and back to the ship whilst she was underway.<br />

An experience that the <strong>Oyster</strong> team all agreed that money just couldn’t buy.<br />

GENOA SHOW VISIT FROM AMBASSADOR<br />

Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Italy, Sir Christopher Prentice, Head of UK Trade & Investment at the<br />

British Consulate, took the opportunity to view the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 625 during his visit to the recent<br />

Genoa Boat Show. A�er a detailed tour of the yacht, he was full of praise for the exemplary<br />

British cra�smanship on display.<br />

OYSTER EVENTS<br />

2012<br />

London Boat Show<br />

6 – 15 January<br />

London Owners’ Dinner<br />

7 January<br />

65 Degrees South (Illustrated Talk)<br />

8 January<br />

Boot Düsseldorf<br />

21 – 29 January<br />

Miami Boat Show<br />

16 – 20 February<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta – BVI<br />

2 – 7 April<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Private View, London<br />

25 – 29 April<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage Spring Boat Show<br />

18 – 20 May<br />

Newport Rendezvous (TBA)<br />

Dates to be announced<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta – Cowes<br />

9 – 14 July<br />

Orust Open Yards Event<br />

24 – 26 August<br />

HISWA In-Water Show<br />

4 – 9 September<br />

Festival De La Plaisance Cannes<br />

12 – 17 September<br />

Newport Boat Show<br />

13 –16 September<br />

Southampton Boat Show<br />

14 – 23 September<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage Autumn Boat Show<br />

14 – 23 September<br />

Monaco Yacht Show<br />

19 – 22 September<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Private View – Palma<br />

22 – 23 September<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta – Palma<br />

25 – 29 September<br />

Annapolis Sailboat Show<br />

4 – 8 October<br />

Annapolis Owners’ Party<br />

5 October<br />

Genoa Boat Show<br />

6 – 14 October<br />

Hamburg Boat Show<br />

27 October – 4 November<br />

Hamburg Owners’ Dinner<br />

27 October<br />

ARC Party<br />

22 November<br />

ARC Start<br />

25 November<br />

2013<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> World Rally Start<br />

6 January<br />

WINTER 2011 7


8<br />

OYSTER NEWS


O Y S T E R P A L M A<br />

R E A L C L U B N A U T I C O D E P A L M A<br />

Mallorca has been a great favourite with <strong>Oyster</strong> owners over the years and <strong>Oyster</strong>’s Palma Regatta was once again<br />

extremely popular with a record number of 30 <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong> taking part, representing owners from nine different nationalities.<br />

It was especially satisfying to see eleven new owners joining in the fun for the first time with their new <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong>.<br />

B Y L O U A Y H A B I B<br />

WINTER 2011 9


10<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

A RECORD FLEET OF 30 OYSTER YACHTS, FLYING THE FLAGS<br />

OF BRAZIL, GERMANY, HOLLAND, ITALY, RUSSIA, SOUTH<br />

AFRICA, SPAIN, SWITZERLAND AND THE UNITED KINGDOM<br />

GATHERED ON THE IDYLLIC MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND OF<br />

MALLORCA FOR THE OYSTER PALMA REGATTA, THE 27TH<br />

EVENT IN THE OYSTER REGATTA SERIES.<br />

Above from le� to right:<br />

Richard Smith’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 655,<br />

Sotto Vento<br />

David Tydeman, CEO,<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Group<br />

Heinrich Schulte and family,<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 655 Anabasis<br />

�e <strong>Oyster</strong> fleet, Real Club Nautico<br />

Michael Jones’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 655<br />

Blue Horizon<br />

Proving that <strong>Oyster</strong> regattas are as popular<br />

as ever with owners, this event showcased<br />

13 different examples of the distinctive <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

range, from the <strong>Oyster</strong> 46 to the <strong>Oyster</strong> 82.<br />

�e regatta programme included five races<br />

in the spectacular Bay of Palma and further<br />

afield to the ancient town of Andraitx on the<br />

southwest tip of Mallorca. <strong>Oyster</strong> regattas<br />

are organised exclusively for owners and<br />

their guests and besides well-managed<br />

racing, the fleet benefits from world-class<br />

customer service and technical support,<br />

provided by experienced <strong>Oyster</strong> staff and<br />

their regatta partners, represented by Dolphin<br />

Sails, Formula Marine, Lewmar Navtec,<br />

Pantaenius, Pelagos <strong>Yachts</strong>, Raymarine<br />

and Reckmann.<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> owners, their families and guests<br />

gathered at the prestigious Real Club Nautico<br />

at the heart of the Mallorcan capital, for a week<br />

of champagne sailing and great parties, sharing<br />

a grand occasion with like-minded people from<br />

the world over. Richard Smith sailing his <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

655, Sotto Vento is a veteran of 12 previous<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> regattas: “�is will be my fourth regatta<br />

in Palma but I also love the variety of locations,<br />

Sardinia, the British Virgin Islands, Grenada,<br />

Antigua, they are all spectacular venues that<br />

I have fond memories of. Purely and simply,<br />

I really enjoy the <strong>Oyster</strong> events and that<br />

is why I take part. �e crew of Sotto Vento<br />

are all friends from home, I wouldn’t have<br />

it any other way, it adds to the fun and the<br />

excitement because we sail the boat ourselves<br />

rather than have a professional crew sail the<br />

boat for us, for me that is so rewarding.”


In sharp contrast, Michael Jones was sailing at his<br />

first <strong>Oyster</strong> regatta on board his new <strong>Oyster</strong> 655,<br />

Blue Horizon of London. Michael and his crew<br />

sailed the boat to Palma from the <strong>Oyster</strong> yard<br />

in Ipswich this August and it was Michael’s first<br />

experience of offshore sailing. “I have very little<br />

sailing experience and to be honest, I only<br />

decided to enter the regatta at the last minute.<br />

We have received a very warm welcome and<br />

encouragement from all the <strong>Oyster</strong> team and<br />

other owners and crews, everybody has been<br />

so helpful. We hope to gain experience this week<br />

and learn as much as we can and this is a perfect<br />

environment to do that.”<br />

�e team at <strong>Oyster</strong> pride themselves on providing<br />

exceptional service to owners of <strong>Oyster</strong> yachts<br />

and the regatta programme is very much part<br />

of that ethos of customer care. <strong>Oyster</strong>’s service<br />

and support team is present at every regatta,<br />

OYSTER REGATTA PALMA<br />

enabling owners to obtain expert advice and<br />

guidance in maintaining and, above all, enjoying<br />

sailing their <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong>. It’s details like this that ensure<br />

buying and owning an <strong>Oyster</strong> is an experience<br />

that is second to none.<br />

Prior to the start of the racing, the dockside at the<br />

Real Club Nautico was a hive of activity as crews<br />

meticulously prepared their yachts for the judging<br />

of the Concours d’Elegance, which this year was<br />

presented by the Real Club Nautico.<br />

A key feature of every <strong>Oyster</strong> regatta is the<br />

spectacular programme of social events and<br />

once the formalities of the Skippers’ Briefing<br />

was completed, the terrace of the Real Club<br />

Nautico, flanked by the magnificent <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

fleet, provided a fitting venue for the welcome<br />

cocktail party and barbecue supper at which<br />

the <strong>Oyster</strong> family had plenty of opportunity<br />

to enjoy each other’s company.<br />

“The <strong>Oyster</strong> Regattas are just perfect.<br />

These fun, social events were the<br />

main reason I purchased a new yacht<br />

and to helm my first race from start<br />

to finish in Palma made it the best<br />

regatta ever for me!”<br />

Richard Smith <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 Sotto Vento<br />

WINTER 2011 11


12<br />

� e Bay of Palma provided spectacular<br />

sailing conditions for the fi rst day of<br />

racing. � e impressive fl eet included<br />

Dario Galvão’s beautifully engineered<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 655, Solway Mist II, the fi rst<br />

Brazilian yacht to compete at an<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> regatta.<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

RAYMARINE AND DOLPHIN SAILS RACE DAY<br />

� e Perfect Start<br />

“Back home in São Paulo, I like to race. I have<br />

a one-off design 25’ keelboat but I wanted<br />

a yacht that I could sail with my wife, Gina.”<br />

Explained Dario. “We had seen <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong> in the<br />

Caribbean and we were impressed. Our good<br />

friends, André and Melissa Ribeiro are with<br />

us here in Palma and along with our boat captain<br />

and mate, Ian and Cindy. We have enough crew<br />

to handle the boat and there is still plenty of room<br />

for us all to live in comfort on board. I have really<br />

been looking forward to the regatta, racing<br />

yachts is a passion of mine and I am also very<br />

interested in meeting other <strong>Oyster</strong> owners,<br />

as I feel we have a lot in common. I hope it will<br />

be competitive on the water but still very<br />

friendly at all of the parties.”<br />

Racing started on schedule with a nine-mile<br />

windward leeward course, sponsored by <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

Regatta partner, Raymarine. It proved to be<br />

a highly tactical race for the imposing <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

fl eet. Starts are always important but with a fl eet<br />

of such magnitude, getting away well and<br />

staying in clear air was very worthwhile. A� er<br />

a gentle beat to the top mark, the fl eet cracked<br />

sheets. It was an impressive sight as the bay<br />

became festooned with colourful spinnakers.<br />

To achieve the best result, competitors needed<br />

to remain fully focused, as all across the bay<br />

were small windless patches, which kept<br />

everyone on their toes. � e beat to the fi nish<br />

saw the breeze pipe up, especially off shore,<br />

where several yachts made substantial gains.<br />

A brief respite followed before a course was set<br />

for the second race of the day, sponsored by<br />

Dolphin Sails. A� er a somewhat conservative<br />

start to the fi rst race, the second race provided<br />

some tight action with yachts in close quarters<br />

during both class starts. However, <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

regattas are renowned for fair play and there<br />

was no cause for alarm. By the start, the breeze<br />

had built to about 12 knots and the <strong>Oyster</strong> fl eet<br />

was fully powered up bound for the top mark.<br />

A tight reach was to follow and several<br />

competitors had to keep their concentration levels<br />

on high alert, fl ying spinnakers right on the edge.<br />

As the majority of the fl eet reached the bottom<br />

mark, the wind was starting to fade but only for<br />

a few minutes, before the sea breeze arrived in<br />

earnest, producing a dramatic change in wind<br />

direction. It was a fi nal twist to an exciting day<br />

with the wind turning right through 180 degrees.<br />

� ose who anticipated the swing in direction<br />

and were in a position to change tactics came<br />

out on top.<br />

A� er racing, crews mingled at the dockside bar<br />

at Real Club Nautico, discussing the day’s action<br />

over a cold drink and there were happy, smiling<br />

faces all round, especially from those crews that<br />

had gained podium places on the fi rst day. In Class 1,<br />

Bill Munro’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 575, Boarding Pass III and<br />

Alberto Vignatelli’s stunning <strong>Oyster</strong> 72, AlbertOne 3<br />

were tied for second place a� er two races<br />

by virtue of both yachts scoring a second and<br />

a third. But the star of the show in Class 1 was<br />

Mike Freeman’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 575, Can Do Too, the<br />

team had a superb day on the water winning<br />

both races.<br />

In Class 2, Gerd and Anne-Marie Köhlmoos’<br />

Hamburg based <strong>Oyster</strong> 54 Sarabande, fi nished<br />

the day well, taking second place in Race 2 and<br />

Wolfram Birkel’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 56, Cat B, was very much<br />

in contention to take third. <strong>Oyster</strong> 54, Legend III,<br />

skippered by Alan Du Toit and his South African<br />

crew had an encouraging start to the regatta,<br />

taking a third in Race 1. However, it was two British<br />

yachts, John Marshall’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 56, Rock <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

and Alan Parker’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 54, <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach that<br />

shared the spoils with a win each.<br />

A� er a great day’s racing, the <strong>Oyster</strong> festivities<br />

continued with an exclusive cocktail party on the<br />

terrace at the Mallorcan museum of modern art,<br />

Es Baluard, which provided a stunning setting.<br />

� e museum contains an outstanding collection<br />

of paintings, sculptures and ceramics by artists<br />

emerging from the late 19th Century, including<br />

Cézanne, Gauguin, Miro and Picasso. � e elevated<br />

terrace, in the ancient walled ramparts was an<br />

enchanting venue for the <strong>Oyster</strong> family to enjoy<br />

a relaxing evening of live music, fi ne wine and<br />

local delicacies, amidst wonderful views of the<br />

Bay of Palma and the beautiful fl oodlit Cathedral.<br />

Le� Page<br />

Above le� : Dario Galvão’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 655, Solway Mist<br />

Above: � e crew of <strong>Oyster</strong> 56, Olanta<br />

Below: Bill Munro’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 575,<br />

Boarding Pass III<br />

Right Page<br />

Top: � e <strong>Oyster</strong> fl eet in the Bay of Palma<br />

Bottom: Mike Freeman’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 575, Can Do Too


OYSTER REGATTA PALMA<br />

“We enjoyed the regatta immensely<br />

and thought the organisation was<br />

excellent. Thanks for a great event.”<br />

Paul & Caroline Frew <strong>Oyster</strong> 575, Juno<br />

WINTER 2011 13


14<br />

LEWMAR RACE DAY<br />

Escapade to Andraitx<br />

Although the start for the second<br />

day of racing was only a short hop<br />

out of the Bay of Palma, it was an early<br />

start for the <strong>Oyster</strong> fleet in preparation<br />

for Race 3, a 20-mile coastal race<br />

sponsored by <strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta partner,<br />

Lewmar, to the enchanting Puerto<br />

Andraitx. With great e�ciency,<br />

the 30-yacht <strong>Oyster</strong> armada le�<br />

Real Club Nautico to make their way<br />

to the starting area and on to Andraitx,<br />

where the <strong>Oyster</strong> fleet would spend<br />

a night away from Palma.<br />

Sailing on board the beautiful <strong>Oyster</strong> 54,<br />

Light Lana were three members of the<br />

Bayerisher Yacht Club, Hansjochen Bludau,<br />

Heinz Löhr and Oliver Glück, guests of <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

Marine at the regatta by way of the German<br />

yacht club winning the Ski Yachting competition<br />

run by the prestigious Gstaad Yacht Club,<br />

an event which is supported by <strong>Oyster</strong>.<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

Heinz Löhr first came to Palma in 1973 and the<br />

island has changed significantly since then as he<br />

explains. “I came here for the first time nearly<br />

40 years ago and Andraitx was just a little fishing<br />

village then, it is very different now, but the yacht<br />

club swimming pool will be a great place to cool<br />

down a�er today’s race. My sincere thanks for the<br />

invitation to take part in the <strong>Oyster</strong> Palma Regatta<br />

and becoming a member of the <strong>Oyster</strong> family.<br />

I am thoroughly enjoying the friendly atmosphere<br />

and excellent organisation. In Munich we race<br />

Dragons on the lake, sailing on Light Lana is quite<br />

a different experience.”<br />

A light northeasterly breeze provided a downwind<br />

start for the race to Andraitx with many yachts<br />

choosing to fly spinnakers bound for the Cala<br />

Figuera lighthouse, which marks the entrance<br />

to the sparkling bay. �e first leg of the course<br />

tested boat-handling skills, as yachts gybed<br />

back and forth to stay in the best pressure.<br />

Gerd and Anne-Marie Köhlmoos sailing their<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 54, Sarabande got away well under<br />

spinnaker and showed a clean pair of heels to<br />

the rest of the fleet, choosing to sail out into the<br />

middle of the bay. However, Mike Freeman’s<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 575, Can Do Too, decided on a different<br />

approach, hugging the coastline under Genoa.<br />

�e race was a light wind affair, requiring<br />

concentration from sail trimmers, using every<br />

puff of wind at their disposal. By the time the<br />

race leaders reached the end of the bay, a weak<br />

sea breeze started to form, counteracting the<br />

gradient wind and yachts were struggling for<br />

speed. <strong>Oyster</strong> Race O�cer, John Grandy, made<br />

the decision to shorten the course due to lack<br />

of wind at Islas el Toro.<br />

In Class 2, Alberto Vignatelli’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 72,<br />

AlbertOne 3 , continued their consistent form<br />

by taking third place. Whilst Dario Galvão’s<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 655, Solway Mist II had another great<br />

day on the water taking second place. Mike<br />

Freeman’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 575, Can Do Too made it<br />

a hat-trick, taking their third win in a row.<br />

However, the class was proving extremely<br />

competitive, Richard Smith’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 655,<br />

Sotto Vento, and the <strong>Oyster</strong> 82,<br />

Starry Night of the Caribbean, whose owners<br />

are veterans of 25 <strong>Oyster</strong> regattas between<br />

them, were also in the hunt for the prizes.<br />

In Class 1, Gerd and Anne-Marie Köhlmoos’<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 54, Sarabande sailed a near-perfect<br />

race, to take line honours and win by over ten<br />

minutes a�er time correction. Rudolph Kagi and


OYSTER REGATTA PALMA<br />

his crew on the <strong>Oyster</strong> 56, Magic Spirit scored<br />

their fi rst podium fi nish by taking third place and<br />

Stuart and Carolyn Popham’s Spirit of Spring<br />

was delighted with second place. “Sarabande<br />

sailed extremely well to win the day but with fi ve<br />

well-sailed <strong>Oyster</strong> 56s, we are having some close<br />

battles within the class. I have to admit, it was very<br />

satisfying to get through the line before the<br />

others today, it will make tonight’s festivities even<br />

more pleasurable,” beamed Stuart Popham.<br />

A� er fi nishing racing, the <strong>Oyster</strong> fl eet enjoyed the<br />

stunning views of the cliff s along the southwest tip<br />

of Mallorca, including the gateway to Puerto<br />

Andraitx, Cap de sa Mola. � e rocky headland<br />

is 130 metres high, a breathtaking sheer rock<br />

face, plunging into crystalline blue waters, giving<br />

one of the most dramatic views anywhere in the<br />

Balearic Islands. Puerto Andraitx is a veritable<br />

paradise and the <strong>Oyster</strong> family enjoyed the full<br />

hospitality of the yacht club before being taken<br />

by specially chartered coaches for dinner at the<br />

Bodegas Santa Catarina Vineyard, set in one<br />

of the most beautiful valleys of the Sierra<br />

de Tramuntana. � e award-winning wines are<br />

produced from local and international grape<br />

varieties and the <strong>Oyster</strong> family were treated<br />

to a refreshing Prensal Blanc on arrival, followed<br />

by a rich and complex Cabernet Sauvignon, all<br />

grown and produced on the estate. A traditional<br />

paella, cooked in giant-sized authentic paella<br />

pans during the wine tasting, was served inside<br />

the majestic barrel vaulted stone wine store.<br />

A magnifi cent setting and a rare treat laid on<br />

especially for <strong>Oyster</strong> owners and guests taking<br />

part in <strong>Oyster</strong>’s Regatta.<br />

Clockwise from far le� : <strong>Oyster</strong> 54, Light Lana<br />

Paul & Caroline Frew’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 575 Juno<br />

Close racing between the <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 Anabasis<br />

and 54 <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach<br />

Alan Parker’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 54, <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach<br />

Stuart & Carolyn Popham’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 56,<br />

Spirit of Spring<br />

Jonathan & Jane Mould’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 72, Koluka<br />

Dinner at the Bodegas Santa Catarina Vineyard<br />

WINTER 2011 15


16<br />

PELAGOS YACHTS RACE DAY<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Snakes and Ladders<br />

Puerto Andraitx had been a<br />

wonderfully tranquil haven for the<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> fleet, but by early next morning,<br />

a warm breeze was blowing through<br />

the <strong>Oyster</strong> rigging, promising fair<br />

winds for Race 4, sponsored by <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

Regatta partner, Pelagos <strong>Yachts</strong>.<br />

The 30 strong <strong>Oyster</strong> fleet gathered in the<br />

starting area, as a solid northeasterly breeze filled<br />

sails. �e competing yachts jostled for position<br />

eager to start the race back to the Real Club<br />

Nautico. Several yachts were too early and were<br />

called over the line including John Marshall’s<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 56, Rock <strong>Oyster</strong>. However, Wolfram<br />

Birkel’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 56, Cat B got away well, claiming<br />

the pin end of the line with precision. Wolfram<br />

and his son Christoph share the helm on Cat B<br />

and the family team all come from Germany. �is<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta was the first time they had raced<br />

the yacht, having taken delivery of Cat B a year<br />

ago and the team had come to Palma with one<br />

clear goal; to have as much fun as they could<br />

possibly manage.<br />

“We want to sail well and get good results but<br />

having fun is far more important,” explained<br />

Wolfram. “Last year, we kept Cat B in �e Baltic,<br />

which is a great place to sail but the weather<br />

is nothing like as good as the Mediterranean,<br />

here the sun shines nine months of the year<br />

and for this regatta the warm sunshine is just<br />

fantastic. I have been especially delighted by<br />

how <strong>Oyster</strong> have organised this event, a really<br />

first-class job but I have been a little surprised<br />

by how competitive the racing has been! �e<br />

regatta has been fun from the start and an ideal<br />

way to get good sailing experience, you can<br />

learn so much in a short period of time when<br />

you are sailing everyday against similar yachts.<br />

However, we never forget the primary reason<br />

for us to be here is to have a really great time.”<br />

�e race from Andraitx provided some fast<br />

upwind action along the rugged southwest<br />

coastline, the <strong>Oyster</strong> fleet was an impressive<br />

sight, exhibiting power and grace, swapping<br />

OYSTER NEWS


Le� : � e <strong>Oyster</strong> 82, Starry Night<br />

Top right: � e <strong>Oyster</strong> fl eet off the stunning<br />

Mallorcan coastline<br />

Bottom right: <strong>Oyster</strong> 54, Legend III and<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 66 Goodwinds<br />

tacks in close quarters. However, as the fl eet<br />

progressed towards the Bay of Palma, the wind<br />

started to become very unstable with substantial<br />

shi� s in wind direction and speed, creating<br />

a game of snakes and ladders. <strong>Yachts</strong> were<br />

swapping places at regular intervals and<br />

approaching the entrance to the bay, a windless<br />

zone became apparent, negotiating this area<br />

became the defi ning moment of the race, as<br />

a fresh breeze awaited those who were successful.<br />

In Class 1, Paul and Caroline Frew, sailing their new<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 575, Juno of London in their fi rst regatta,<br />

scored their fi rst podium fi nish, narrowly edging<br />

out Dario Galvão’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 655, Solway Mist II,<br />

to take third place. Mike Freeman’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 575,<br />

Can Do Too was second but it was Alberto<br />

Vignatelli’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 72, AlbertOne 3 that claimed<br />

victory. Showing acute tactical awareness and<br />

superb acceleration across the bay. Vignatelli’s<br />

team took line honours by an impressive<br />

14 minutes and their fi rst win of the regatta<br />

on corrected time.<br />

The coastal race also proved to be a highly<br />

competitive contest for Class 2. After time<br />

correction, the top six yachts fi nished within ten<br />

minutes of each other in a contest lasting three<br />

hours. Alan Parker’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 54, <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach<br />

was having a battle royale with John Marshall’s<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 56, Rock <strong>Oyster</strong> for the entire regatta<br />

and the race back to Palma was no exception.<br />

In a photo fi nish, <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach took second<br />

place by just four seconds from Rock <strong>Oyster</strong>,<br />

which had staged a remarkable recovery from<br />

their penalty at the start. However, the winner<br />

in Class 1 was Alan Du Toit’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 54, Legend III<br />

taking line honours and the win by just<br />

two minutes.<br />

OYSTER REGATTA PALMA<br />

Cape Town’s Kevin Stocks revealed the South<br />

African team’s secret weapon. “Coming from the<br />

Cape, we really appreciate good wine and last<br />

night’s party at the Santa Catarina winery was<br />

the boost that the team needed! It was a hard<br />

fought win today, we are really enjoying the<br />

close competition and the enormous amount<br />

of good spirit in the <strong>Oyster</strong> fl eet. � is regatta<br />

is a marvellous way to enjoy the island.”<br />

A� er racing, a complimentary cocktail party was<br />

attended by 250 <strong>Oyster</strong> owners and their guests<br />

on the terrace of the Real Club Nautico. Puerto<br />

Andraitx had been a delightful and serene<br />

excursion away from Palma, a fi ne example of the<br />

many delightful locations that Mallorca can off er.<br />

A� er three days of racing and socialising, an early<br />

night was preferred by some, while those with<br />

enough energy ventured into Palma to enjoy the<br />

hospitality of one of Europe’s most vibrant cities.<br />

“The venues, racing, hospitality and<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> camaraderie were all up to<br />

the usual fantastic standards and you<br />

even managed to perfect the weather<br />

as well. All aboard Rock <strong>Oyster</strong> had a<br />

load of fun and were glad to get back<br />

to work for a rest!”<br />

Robert Chelsom <strong>Oyster</strong> 56, Rock <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

WINTER 2011 17


18<br />

PANTAENIUS RACE DAY<br />

In Pursuit of Excellence<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

For the last day of racing, the Bay of Palma provided a steady breeze<br />

and sublime sunshine for the Pantaenius Pursuit Race. Adding a new<br />

dimension to <strong>Oyster</strong> racing, yachts were given a staggered start.<br />

� e sequence and time-delay were decided by how well each yacht and<br />

crew had performed during the regatta. � e pursuit race did not count<br />

as part of the overall series but was designed as a novel way of ending<br />

what had been a very enjoyable gathering of <strong>Oyster</strong> yachts.<br />

Above: � e Class 1 fl eet led by the <strong>Oyster</strong> 655,<br />

Solway Mist II<br />

Opposite page:<br />

Top le� : Prize-giving party at Casa de sa Font Seca<br />

Top right: Alan Parker’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 54, <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach<br />

Bottom le� : Palma Regatta prizes awaiting recipients!<br />

Bottom right: Paul and Caroline Frew and friends,<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 575 Juno<br />

� e triangular course was designed to test<br />

boat-handling skills at diff erent points of sail and<br />

produced some thrilling action, creating a new<br />

dimension to the competition. In previous races<br />

the faster yachts had been able to sail away<br />

from the fl eet into clear air but on this type of<br />

course, the swi� yachts in the fl eet would need<br />

to overtake the early starters. � e pursuit race<br />

was like a game of cat and mouse; a fast<br />

reaching start allowed the smaller yachts to<br />

speed away, whilst the larger yachts waited,<br />

prowling impatiently in the starting area.<br />

� e magnifi cent <strong>Oyster</strong> fl eet enjoyed some<br />

of the highest wind speeds of the week and<br />

the tight course produced many battles<br />

within the three-hour race.<br />

“I have been sailing the boat a lot this year,<br />

so I think that has made a bit of a diff erence.”<br />

commented, Alan Parker, owner of <strong>Oyster</strong> 54,


<strong>Oyster</strong> Reach. “�is is my second regatta and<br />

we feel far more confident with the boat – our<br />

first regatta was nowhere near as successful,<br />

I didn’t dare look at the results! �is is the first<br />

time I have had the boat in the Mediterranean<br />

and I was able to sail the yacht most of the<br />

way myself. �is was made possible because<br />

there has been a quantum leap in maritime<br />

communications in recent years, which has<br />

enabled me to stay fully in touch whilst out<br />

at sea. <strong>Oyster</strong> regattas are a perfect way to<br />

enjoy sailing with good company, it is the<br />

main reason we all come.”<br />

Alan Parker’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 54, <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach and<br />

the <strong>Oyster</strong> 82, Starry Night of the Caribbean<br />

produced a sensational final leg of the pursuit<br />

race with a spinnaker-lu�ng match for a fight<br />

to the finish. Starry Night of the Caribbean<br />

managed to sail past <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach, a�er<br />

OYSTER REGATTA PALMA<br />

a titanic duel. However, Alan Parker and his<br />

crew were delighted to be the first Class 2<br />

yacht to cross the line.<br />

Despite being one of the last yachts to start<br />

the pursuit race, Mike Freeman’s <strong>Oyster</strong> 575,<br />

Can Do Too was the first yacht to finish, showing<br />

impressive speed under spinnaker, to cap off the<br />

regatta with yet another win. �omas Meseck’s<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 575, Satika finished the regatta in style<br />

with their best result of the competition, taking<br />

second place in the Pursuit Race. Satika is one of<br />

34 <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong> already entered for the <strong>Oyster</strong> World<br />

Rally starting in January 2013. Richard Smith’s<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 655, Sotto Vento is also entered for the<br />

World Rally and took third place in the last race of<br />

the regatta.<br />

On the final night of the regatta, the prize-giving<br />

party and dinner was held amongst hundreds of<br />

acres of olive groves, at the Cases de sa Font Seca,<br />

“Sailing on board the beautiful Light Lana<br />

was for us an impressive highlight. We had<br />

a lot of fun during the racing and enjoyed<br />

our participation in the whole event at<br />

Palma very much.”<br />

Hansjochen Bludau, Oliver Glück and Heinz Löhr<br />

Bayerischer Yacht Club, Germany<br />

a remarkable 17th Century estate on the edge<br />

of the city of Palma, a distinguished setting<br />

fit for the closing party. �e <strong>Oyster</strong> family<br />

gathered in the candle-lit terraced gardens,<br />

swapping tales of the past, present and future,<br />

before retiring to the impressive dining room.<br />

David Tydeman o�ciated at the prize-giving and<br />

there was a tremendous round of applause as he<br />

thanked the guests of honour, Antonio Piza and<br />

Jaimie Binimelis, Commodore of the Real Club<br />

Nautico for hosting the regatta and <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

Marketing Director, Liz Whitman for organising<br />

such a successful event.<br />

A�er the prize-giving ceremony, 250 guests<br />

enjoyed a sumptuous formal dinner and there<br />

were smiles all round. �e <strong>Oyster</strong> family had<br />

enjoyed excellent sailing conditions and<br />

a fabulous extravaganza of parties at some<br />

of Mallorca’s finest locations.<br />

WINTER 2011 19


20<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

O Y S T E R P A L M A<br />

CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE<br />

CLASS 1<br />

Presented by Real Club Nautico<br />

Sotto Vento 655 Richard Smith<br />

AlbertOne 3 72 Alberto Vignatelli<br />

CLASS 2<br />

Presented by Real Club Nautico<br />

Light Lana 54 Rory Gillard (Skipper)<br />

Rock <strong>Oyster</strong> 56 John Marshall<br />

RACE 1 – SPONSORED BY RAYMARINE<br />

CLASS 1<br />

1st Can Do Too 575 Mike Freeman<br />

2nd Boarding Pass III 575 Bill Munro<br />

3rd AlbertOne 3 72 Alberto Vignatelli<br />

4th Sotto Vento 655 Richard Smith<br />

CLASS 2<br />

1st Rock <strong>Oyster</strong> 56 John Marshall<br />

2nd <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach 54 Alan Parker<br />

3rd Legend III 54 Alan Du Toit<br />

4th Sarabande 54 Gerd & Anne-Marie Köhlmoos<br />

RACE 2 – SPONSORED BY DOLPHIN SAILS<br />

CLASS 1<br />

1st Can Do Too 575 Mike Freeman<br />

2nd AlbertOne 3 72 Alberto Vignatelli<br />

3rd Boarding Pass III 575 Bill Munro<br />

4th Starry Night<br />

of the Caribbean<br />

82 Starry <strong>Yachts</strong><br />

CLASS 2<br />

1st <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach 54 Alan Parker<br />

2nd Sarabande 54 Gerd & Anne-Marie Köhlmoos<br />

3rd Cat B 56 Wolfram Birkel<br />

4th Legend III 54 Alan Du Toit<br />

RACE 3 – SPONSORED BY LEWMAR<br />

CLASS 1<br />

1st Can Do Too 575 Mike Freeman<br />

2nd Solway Mist II 655 Dario Galvão<br />

3rd AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli<br />

4th Sotto Vento 655 Richard Smith<br />

CLASS 2<br />

1st Sarabande 54 Gerd & Anne-Marie Köhlmoos<br />

2nd Spirit of Spring 56 Stuart & Carolyn Popham<br />

3rd Magic Spirit 56 Rudolph Kagi<br />

4th Rock <strong>Oyster</strong> 56 John Marshall<br />

RACE 4 – SPONSORED BY PELAGOS YACHTS<br />

CLASS 1<br />

1st AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli<br />

2nd Can Do Too 575 Mike Freeman<br />

3rd Juno of London 54 Paul & Caroline Frew<br />

4th Solway Mist II 655 Dario Galvão<br />

CLASS 2<br />

1st Legend III 54 Alan Du Toit<br />

2nd <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach 54 Alan Parker<br />

3rd Rock <strong>Oyster</strong> 56 John Marshall<br />

4th Olanta 56 Wouter & Monique ten Wolde<br />

RACE 5 – THE PANTAENIUS PURSUIT RACE<br />

1st Can Do Too 575 Mike Freeman<br />

2nd Satika 575 � omas & Esther Meseck<br />

3rd Sotto Vento 54 Richard Smith<br />

4th AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli<br />

5th Starry Night<br />

of the Caribbean<br />

82 Starry <strong>Yachts</strong><br />

6th <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach 54 Alan Parker<br />

7th Sarabande 54 Gerd & Anne-Marie Köhlmoos<br />

8th Juno of London 54 Paul & Caroline Frew


THE ROYAL THAMES YACHT CLUB TROPHY<br />

Best result over both classes, over all races<br />

(excluding the Pursuit Race) no discards.<br />

Can Do Too 575 Mike Freeman<br />

THE LASER PERFORMANCE AWARD<br />

Donated by Laser Performance, the winner was presented with<br />

a new Laser ‘Bug’ dinghy, and was invited to donate it to a sailing<br />

club/school of their choice. For best yacht overall over 5 races not<br />

to have won a class trophy or overall prize.<br />

AlbertOne 3 72 Alberto Vignatelli<br />

R C N P P A L M A 2 0 1 1<br />

THE OYSTER CLASS REGATTA TROPHY<br />

CLASS 1<br />

1st Can Do Too 575 Mike Freeman<br />

2nd AlbertOne 3 72 Alberto Vignatelli<br />

3rd Boarding Pass III 575 Bill Munro<br />

4th Solway Mist II 655 Dario Galvão<br />

CLASS 2<br />

1st <strong>Oyster</strong> Reach 54 Alan Parker<br />

2nd Sarabande 54 Gerd & Anne-Marie Köhlmoos<br />

3rd Legend III 54 Alan Du Toit<br />

4th Rock <strong>Oyster</strong> 56 John Marshall<br />

WINTER 2011 21


22<br />

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS MEASURE SUCCESS,<br />

BUT IF YOU INSIST, OYSTER YACHTS<br />

RANGE BETWEEN 46 AND 125 FEET.<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

OYSTER AT THE BOAT SHOWS<br />

You could say that success follows us. Not surprising when you consider <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

has pioneered the building of world class cruising yachts for nearly 40 years.<br />

Choosing an <strong>Oyster</strong> is where your adventure begins, so we invite you to test the<br />

water at the London, Düsseldorf and Miami Boat Shows and to view some of the<br />

newest <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong> afloat.<br />

All visitors are welcome, but because our yachts are privately owned and kindly<br />

loaned to us for the shows and, because we want you to enjoy your visit, we can<br />

only accommodate so many people on board at any one time. As usual, we will<br />

operate an appointment system, particularly at busy periods. We recommend<br />

that you make an appointment in advance of your visit to the show, which will<br />

ensure you can board at a time to suit you.<br />

Please visit the Events section of our website where you can find more details about<br />

each show and where you will be able to make an appointment to view our yachts<br />

by completing the on-line Boarding Pass Request form. Alternatively please call our<br />

sales team.<br />

UK/EUROPEAN SHOWS:<br />

Call: +44 (0)1473 695 005<br />

US SHOWS:<br />

Call: +1 401 846 7400<br />

Email: yachts@oystermarine.com<br />

www.oystermarine.com<br />

London Boat Show<br />

6 – 15 January (Stand no. H161)<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 575 – Boat Hall<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 46 and <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 – on the water<br />

Boot Düsseldorf<br />

21 – 29 January (Hall 16, Stand no. C58)<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 54 and <strong>Oyster</strong> 625<br />

Miami International Boat Show<br />

16 – 20 February<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 625


THE OYSTER FLEET<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 46 Deck Saloon <strong>Oyster</strong> 54 Deck Saloon <strong>Oyster</strong> 575 Deck Saloon<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 625 Deck Saloon<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 82 Deck Saloon<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 655 Deck Saloon <strong>Oyster</strong> 725 Deck Saloon<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 825 Deck Saloon<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 825 Raised Saloon<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 885 Deck Saloon <strong>Oyster</strong> 100 by Dubois<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 125 by Dubois<br />

WINTER 2011 23


24<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

The<br />

wonderful<br />

world below<br />

the waves<br />

B Y V I R G I N I A D I M S E Y,<br />

OYSTER 62, SAILDANCE II


As you sail through the tropics enjoying the<br />

beauty of the world around you, it is not so<br />

apparent that there is also a world of incredible<br />

beauty below the waves. Coral reefs, with an<br />

astonishing array of species and sea creatures,<br />

off er a breathtaking experience that can add<br />

a whole new dimension to your voyage.<br />

WINTER 2011 25


26<br />

A yacht provides a<br />

unique opportunity to<br />

visit places where the<br />

underwater world is<br />

least impacted by human<br />

activity and nature is at<br />

its natural best. Without<br />

too much di� culty you<br />

can learn the skills and<br />

carry the equipment that<br />

makes snorkeling and<br />

diving a part of your<br />

way of exploring the<br />

world. In this article<br />

I hope to describe how our exploration<br />

of the undersea world unfolded. All the<br />

photographs that appear in this article<br />

were taken by me while snorkeling<br />

or diving with only a point-and-shoot<br />

camera. I hope the photos will show<br />

the incredible colour and beauty of<br />

what you can see and learn under the<br />

sea. Of all the wonderful adventures<br />

we have experienced during our global<br />

circumnavigation, none has been as<br />

unexpectedly thrilling and joyful as our<br />

exploration of the ocean.<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

In October 2005, a� er my husband, Peter,<br />

retired, we started our circumnavigation in our<br />

new <strong>Oyster</strong> 62, Saildance II. Before leaving<br />

England, our focus was mainly on supplies for<br />

the boat, safety equipment, planning enough<br />

food and putting together the medical kit.<br />

A year later when we were in Newport, Rhode<br />

Island, we sensed that our trip around the<br />

world would provide some fantastic diving<br />

opportunities that we should prepare to take<br />

advantage of. So we bought our own dive<br />

gear (BCD, regulator, wetsuit, fi ns and mask<br />

and importantly a dive computer/watch).<br />

Having good equipment,<br />

which fi ts properly and<br />

you are familiar with,<br />

is very valuable. We also<br />

had a compressor and<br />

four tanks installed in the<br />

lazarette of our boat.<br />

Having this gives you the<br />

fl exibility to go on your<br />

own when and where you<br />

like. We were novice<br />

divers. Whilst I had<br />

my Open Water Diver<br />

certifi cate I had only dove<br />

20 times, whilst Peter had done his training in<br />

a pool and received his certifi cate on a sailing<br />

holiday and had even less experience.<br />

I began taking photos with a mid-range<br />

point-and-shoot camera with waterproof<br />

housing, which worked well and was easy<br />

to carry underwater. � is was not easy as the fi sh<br />

you are photographing are moving, the water<br />

is moving and you are moving! It was amazing<br />

that anything was in focus. We started to buy<br />

several reference books and found that those<br />

with actual photographs, not drawings, helped<br />

to identify the various types of fi sh more easily.


Building a knowledge of what you are seeing adds a great deal to the<br />

enjoyment. Slowly, we developed a ‘wish list’ of fi sh we hoped to see.<br />

Sharks and Manta Rays were at the top of the list, but then there were<br />

lots of other unusual and colourful fi sh such as the Clownfi sh, Lionfi sh,<br />

Napoleon Fish, Anemonefi sh, Ghost Pipefi sh, Mandarinfi sh as well<br />

as Octopus, Moray Eels, Barracudas, Turtles and Stingrays.<br />

Additionally, it is important to learn what not to touch, particularly<br />

those that are poisonous.<br />

It was in these reference books that we discovered that marine<br />

diversity increases exponentially as we moved westward.<br />

The Indo-Pacific region is universally acknowledged as the<br />

world’s richest area for marine diversity. � ere are more marine<br />

creatures there than in any other region of the world.<br />

� e Coral Triangle runs<br />

from the Philippines<br />

south-southwest to Bali<br />

in Indonesia, where<br />

it angles eastward<br />

extending past southern<br />

Papua New Guinea to<br />

the Solomon Islands,<br />

before going back<br />

northwest to the<br />

Philippines. To give<br />

you an example, in the<br />

Caribbean there are 50<br />

species of coral, but in<br />

the Coral Triangle there<br />

are 600-800! Likewise,<br />

there are over 2000<br />

species of fi sh in the<br />

Coral Triangle and only<br />

approximately 200<br />

in the Caribbean!<br />

We had so much to<br />

look forward to as<br />

we sailed westward.<br />

As we crossed the Pacifi c,<br />

our fi rst dive was in the<br />

Galapagos, which really<br />

was jumping in at the<br />

deep end! � e water<br />

there is quite cold with<br />

the Humboldt Current<br />

coming up from the<br />

Antarctic, about 65ºF<br />

(18ºC) so you need a thicker wet suit (5-7mm), which are available<br />

to hire there. With a thicker wet suit everything is diff erent, especially<br />

one’s buoyancy, so we were a bit nervous. But a� er seeing a school<br />

of hammerhead sharks we were all excited. Also, in the Galapagos<br />

we had such fun snorkeling with the sea lions, which swam playfully<br />

around us.<br />

Our next dives were in the Tuamotu Atolls in French Polynesia,<br />

where the islands have disappeared leaving just the fringing reefs.<br />

� e tides fl ow quickly in and out through the passes and many<br />

pelagic fi sh (big fi sh) congregate there to let the water fl ow<br />

through their gills without having to swim around. We went with dive<br />

schools because you really need to know where to go and the<br />

OWNER REPORT – SAILDANCE II<br />

currents can be strong. We descended as quickly as we could<br />

to the bottom and then held onto a rock to avoid dri� ing with the<br />

current. You look up and it is like shark wallpaper, literally hundreds<br />

of reef sharks, white tip, black tip, grey sharks, all lazily swimming<br />

about. At fi rst we were terrifi ed! But slowly, you got used to the fact<br />

that the sharks are not interested in you. A� er fi nishing the dives,<br />

everyone was comparing their shark photos. All the divers<br />

experienced a huge adrenal rush seeing so many sharks at once!<br />

We had our best dives on the Rangiroa and Fakarava Atolls. All the<br />

way through French Polynesia we had wonderful diving, mostly<br />

with dive schools. Diving with the French has its pluses – we really<br />

appreciated that the French dive schools never make you sign<br />

a waiver before diving, the dive master takes responsibility for his<br />

divers and usually takes<br />

no more than fi ve at<br />

a time. Outside of the<br />

French territories, you<br />

always have to sign<br />

a waiver before you dive.<br />

“Of all the wonderful adventures<br />

we have experienced during<br />

our global circumnavigation,<br />

none has been as unexpectedly<br />

thrilling and joyful as our<br />

exploration of the ocean.”<br />

A� er French Polynesia<br />

we stopped in Suvarov<br />

in the Cook Islands. It is<br />

a very remote, low atoll<br />

and also a national park.<br />

� e only way to visit<br />

Suvarov is by private<br />

yacht, so it is lovely and<br />

quiet. � e warden told<br />

us that Manta Rays were<br />

sometimes seen behind<br />

where our boat was<br />

anchored. I decided to<br />

swim out behind our boat<br />

to see if I could fi nd them.<br />

A� er 45 minutes, I turned<br />

to swim back when all of<br />

a sudden there it was –<br />

a Giant Manta Ray!<br />

I stayed motionless as it<br />

swam around me fearing<br />

he would swim away… but<br />

he didn’t. We continued to<br />

swim around together for<br />

what seemed a very long<br />

time. I noticed that he had<br />

a totally black underside.<br />

By now I was starting to get cold, but took some pictures to prove<br />

I had seem him! I swam back to the boat excitedly telling everyone<br />

what had happened. My fi rst Manta Ray! Shortly a� er, I looked up<br />

Le� Page<br />

Top Le� : Napoleon Fish<br />

Bottom Le� : Anemonefi sh – Nemo<br />

Bottom Right: Spotted Moray Eel<br />

Right Page<br />

Top: Colourful Coral<br />

Bottom: White Tip Shark<br />

WINTER 2011 27


28<br />

Manta Rays in our reference books and discovered that a totally<br />

black ray was very rare. What excitement! � ese rays have large<br />

triangular wings stretching up to 6.7m (22� ). � e next day, we went<br />

to look for more rays. It took quite a while and we were about<br />

to give up, but again, we found one near our boat. But this ray was<br />

a more common variety with white on his underside. � ey are such<br />

majestic creatures, gliding on their huge wings as they feed on<br />

plankton. � ey seemed totally unconcerned with us until they got<br />

a few feet from you, when they would turn away. On both occasions<br />

we le� them; they did not leave us. We subsequently had more<br />

opportunities to snorkel with Manta Rays in Fiji, Indonesia,<br />

and the Maldives. On every occasion it was an incredibly<br />

exciting experience.<br />

We were in Vava’u, Tonga just at the end of the birthing and mating<br />

season (July to October) of Humpback Whales. � e whales had<br />

migrated from Antarctica to the warmer tropical waters of Tonga,<br />

where they give birth to their calves. Tonga is unique in that<br />

swimming with whales is legal with a certifi ed company that<br />

is controlled by Whale Watching Regulations. It is possible to have<br />

the most amazing underwater views of mothers and their calves.<br />

We enthusiastically signed up with a local company. A� er a couple<br />

of hours searching we came upon a mother with her calf. Our boat<br />

approached them very slowly, away from the side that the calf was<br />

on. When we got within 100 metres, we slipped into the water<br />

without making any splashes and stuck close together, so that the<br />

whale didn’t see multiple objects approaching it. One whale came<br />

towards us, close enough for us to touch it! � e fi rst day I was<br />

overwhelmed by the entire experience of being so close to<br />

23 tons, that I didn’t take any photos! Where do you point the<br />

camera? So I signed up for a second day of excitement.<br />

Unfortunately, when we were in Australia, we missed diving the Great<br />

Barrier Reef because a lightning strike to Saildance II delayed us for six<br />

months. One day, as we were preparing to snorkel, an Australian rushed<br />

Le� Page<br />

Top le� : Manta Ray<br />

Top right: Peacock Mantis Shrimp<br />

Right Page<br />

Top right: Humpback Whale & Calf<br />

Bottom le� : Mandarinfi sh<br />

Bottom right: Nudibranch<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

over from his sailboat to tell us not to go into the water because the<br />

invisible, very small (matchstick-sized), extremely venomous Irukandji<br />

Jellyfi sh were around. We heeded his warning! Also, because the Great<br />

Barrier Reef is quite a long way off shore, people generally use ‘live<br />

aboard’ boats and make three to fi ve dives a day. For us, two dives<br />

a day is plenty. However, further north along the coast, we did sail<br />

to Lizard Island and visited the Research Station. We were lucky to<br />

be there to hear the once-a-week talk by the director who made an<br />

excellent presentation about the work of the station. He told us where<br />

to snorkel, which was right off the boat to see the most enormous<br />

Giant Clams, 1.5m (5� ) in diameter.<br />

While in Australia, as a special treat, my husband arranged a plane<br />

trip to Ningaloo Reef on the remote western coast of Australia.<br />

Annually, between April and June, an estimated 300-500 Whale<br />

Sharks congregate there at the time of the mass coral spawning.<br />

We snorkeled two days and saw many Whale Sharks (5-10m, 15-35� ).<br />

People fl y here specially to swim with these beautiful, docile creatures.<br />

� ere are several boats looking for the Whale Sharks, assisted by<br />

a plane, which spots where they are and passes the information on<br />

to the boats. � e boats take turns with their snorkelers swimming with<br />

the Whale Sharks. As they swim slowly on the surface you can keep<br />

up with them, even swimming with only one hand, as your other hand<br />

is holding a camera. Nothing can compare to the thrill of swimming<br />

beside a Whale Shark! If you manage to take a good photo of the<br />

le� side behind the gills and email it to ECOCEAN, they will enter<br />

it into their photo-identifi cation library. If your shark is re-sighted,<br />

an automated email is sent to let you know. I have been receiving<br />

emails about two Whale Sharks now for three years. � ese photographs<br />

are helping in the research of tracking the migration of the Whale<br />

Sharks. Currently ECOCEAN is tracking more than 1,200 of them.<br />

One of the fi rst islands we visited in Indonesia was Banda, one of the<br />

Spice Islands. Again, by word of mouth, we heard one could see the<br />

beautiful Mandarinfi sh by snorkeling in town below the main hotel.<br />

So three ladies ventured off at dusk when these tiny fi sh, (6cm, 2in<br />

long) come out of hiding to mate. With some patience we eventually<br />

saw them, swimming around in pairs among the black sea urchins.<br />

We also saw several Ringed Pipefi sh, with their red tails, and some<br />

lovely Starfi sh. Several days later we set off to dive. In the rush of the<br />

morning I had neglected to put the yellow O-ring into the camera’s<br />

underwater housing. It didn’t take long to realise that the camera was<br />

ruined. � is was a disaster! � e camera was unfi xable, we were in the


eastern part of Indonesia<br />

with nowhere to buy<br />

a new camera and here<br />

I was in the area of the<br />

highest marine diversity.<br />

I was devastated. Luckily,<br />

a friend lent me a camera,<br />

but it was a huge<br />

disappointment for me.<br />

Further along in Indonesia,<br />

at the southeast end<br />

of Sulawesi Island, is the<br />

Wakatobi Marine National<br />

Park, where the Hoga Island<br />

Marine Research Centre is based. It is right<br />

in the centre of the Coral Triangle. Every year<br />

between March and September hundreds<br />

of researchers and students visit the island<br />

on expedition with the UK based organisation,<br />

Operation Wallacea. Before helping with the<br />

various research projects, the students have<br />

to undertake a week-long Coral Reef Ecology<br />

course, which provides everyone with a basic<br />

introduction to coral reef biology and ecology.<br />

� e centre is currently run by a spunky English<br />

girl named Philippa Mansell. She gave a short<br />

lecture to the visiting yachtsmen about what<br />

OWNER REPORT – SAILDANCE II<br />

the research centre was doing. We asked her if<br />

we could join a group taking the Coral Reef<br />

Ecology course, which consisted of ten lectures,<br />

seven dives, three snorkels and three tests.<br />

No outsiders had participated before, but a� er<br />

some discussion she agreed. Each day we<br />

had lectures on key species of the coral reef,<br />

what lives where, how each of these amazing<br />

creatures feed, move, the fascinating biological<br />

relationships and interactions that are present<br />

on the reef. A� er each lecture, we would go<br />

diving to see in real life what we had been<br />

studying. At low tide we had quite a long<br />

distance to walk out to the boat<br />

carrying all our equipment,<br />

including the tanks. At lunch,<br />

one of the researchers<br />

commented that his group<br />

had counted 400 Stonefi sh<br />

(the world’s most venomous<br />

fi sh) in the area between the<br />

beach and where we got into<br />

the dive boat. Henceforth<br />

we walked very carefully<br />

and with shoes!<br />

Just east of Bali, opposite<br />

Lombok, are the small Gili<br />

Air Islands. � ey are a popular diving centre.<br />

� e diving here is not the best because the<br />

reefs have been extensively damaged by bomb<br />

fi shing and are just starting to recover. However,<br />

we found an excellent French dive master,<br />

who persuaded us to take the PADI Advanced<br />

Open Water Diver course. It included our fi rst<br />

night dive, which was quite an adventure,<br />

plus a dive down to 30m (100� ). We found<br />

it was important to keep working at improving<br />

our diving skills. Like all sports, refi ning your<br />

technique increases your enjoyment, confi dence<br />

level and safety.<br />

WINTER 2011 29


30<br />

A� er Indonesia, we went to Singapore, where<br />

Saildance II was struck by lightning a second<br />

time, so we couldn’t continue with the yachts<br />

heading toward the Red Sea. It took six months<br />

to repair everything and by that time the<br />

southwest monsoon was blowing. We decided<br />

to sail up the northwest coast of Borneo to<br />

Sarawak and Sabah, both part of Malaysia.<br />

On the way, we stopped at a remote Atoll,<br />

Layang Layang, 190 miles (300 km) off the<br />

Borneo coast. � e draw card for divers here<br />

is to see schools of Scalloped Hammerhead<br />

Sharks. It was August and it turned out to be too<br />

late in the season and unfortunately we didn’t<br />

see any of them. However, we met a group<br />

of people who were experienced divers, some<br />

had done over 2,000 life time dives, who had<br />

volunteered to help rid Layang Layang’s reef<br />

of the infamous Crown of � orns. � is starfi sh<br />

grows to over a foot across and has 10-20 arms.<br />

Its appetite for live hard corals has threatened<br />

reefs from the Indian to the Pacifi c Oceans.<br />

Once the reef dies, the reef fi sh leave. � e<br />

volunteers inject sodium bisulphate into the<br />

starfi sh, which is deadly to them, but does not<br />

harm the reef. � ey are gathered up and burned<br />

on shore. We asked if we could participate,<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

but they didn’t want the liability of accidents from<br />

the venom of the Crown of � orns or the handling<br />

of injection needles. A pity, it would have been<br />

very interesting to do!<br />

Sabah, at the top of Borneo, is rapidly<br />

developing its tourism, particularly rain forest<br />

jungle trekking and diving. A� er we had made<br />

several hiking trips into the jungle, we moved<br />

onward with great anticipation to what<br />

is reported to be fantastic diving. First we<br />

dove on Lankayan Island. We saw many new<br />

creatures, lots of Green and Hawksbill Turtles,<br />

Jaw Fish, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Blue Spotted<br />

Rays, Sweetlips and Nudibranchs. � en we<br />

moved down to Sipidan Island, considered one<br />

of the fi ve top diving destinations in the world.<br />

In order to preserve Sipidan, the Malaysian<br />

government has made a number of restrictions,<br />

including no night diving and only 120 diving<br />

permits a day. We arranged for a private dive<br />

boat to take us and saw an enormous school<br />

of Barracuda in a spectacular tornado-like swirl.<br />

� ey do this to drive their prey into the centre<br />

to make it easier to catch them. Next came<br />

large schools of Big Eye Trevally, while another<br />

highlight was large schools of Bumphead<br />

Parrotfi sh that are hilarious to watch. � ey are<br />

“We have had a truly wonderful<br />

time exploring the world both<br />

on land and below the waves.<br />

Our <strong>Oyster</strong> has provided us<br />

with this opportunity and we have<br />

seen a world that the average<br />

tourist doesn’t even know exists.<br />

� e whole underwater experience<br />

has been a revelation.”<br />

1m (3� ) long with big, dirty teeth that<br />

desperately need dentist cleaning. � ey use<br />

their large forehead to break the coral and<br />

then eat it. It was a spectacular morning.<br />

While in Singapore, I managed to replace<br />

the camera I had fl ooded for a newer model.<br />

I also bought a much better Japanese<br />

waterproof housing and took the big step<br />

of buying a strobe light. But the important<br />

lesson learned is it is best to organise all your<br />

camera equipment quietly the night before<br />

diving. A mistake is too costly, not just<br />

monetarily, but there is nowhere to buy new<br />

equipment at a dive site on a remote island.<br />

My next problem was that I had no idea how<br />

to use the strobe, so it sat quietly in its box.<br />

Luckily, while diving in Sipidan, I met another<br />

diver with the same equipment. He spent<br />

several hours with me and helped speed<br />

up the learning curve. A strobe may be more<br />

cumbersome, but what a diff erence a strobe<br />

light makes. Without a strobe, everything<br />

underwater below two metres looks bluish<br />

and muted. Up to this point of time<br />

my photographs were in a ‘blue period’.<br />

Now, with a strobe the entire photography<br />

experience changed. � e colours were


incredibly bright and more in focus. An<br />

inconsequential brown blob at 70 feet turned<br />

out to be a fabulous bright red Frogfi sh! Now<br />

our suggestion would be to carry an underwater<br />

fl ashlight, day and night, to see the true colours,<br />

even if you don’t have a camera.<br />

Near Sipidan are the islands Mabul and Kapalai,<br />

which are famous worldwide for macro<br />

photography and ‘muck diving’, getting its name<br />

from the sediment on the sea fl o o r, the dead<br />

coral. What makes muck diving so diff erent and<br />

interesting is that it is the perfect habitat for<br />

unusual, exotic and juvenile organisms that make<br />

their homes in the sediment. One can look at<br />

numerous, very small sea creatures sitting on the<br />

seabed, some only as big as your little fi nger<br />

nail. e Orangutan Crab with its long fl owing<br />

red hairs, the beautiful neon pink Hairy Squat<br />

Lobster and various tiny Translucent Shrimps.<br />

Once the dive master knows you are interested,<br />

he will point out these little creatures, even<br />

things so small you can barely see them, such<br />

as the rare Pygmy Seahorses. I grew very<br />

interested in these tiny sea creatures, particularly<br />

Nudibranches that come in an incredible variety<br />

of colours and shapes. But there were also huge<br />

numbers of various species of Scorpionfi sh,<br />

Buy your own gear – mask/snorkel and fi ns,<br />

and if diving a wet suit (3mm), BCD (vest),<br />

octopus and regulator and a dive computer/<br />

watch so you have equipment that is<br />

comfortable, fi ts and is reliable. Dive schools<br />

have equipment, but it is not always the<br />

quality you want or is comfortable. Also we<br />

found a thin stainless steel 30cm (12 inch)<br />

probe very useful to make touching the<br />

bottom safer.<br />

Take the time to get the basic Open Water<br />

Diver certifi cation or a refresher course<br />

before you leave on your voyage.<br />

My current photographic equipment is:<br />

Canon’s top of the range point-and-shoot G11,<br />

Fisheye Underwater Housing, Sea and Sea<br />

YS-110a Strobe. e problem with point-andshoot<br />

cameras is the ‘shutter lag’ (the time<br />

between pressing the shutter button and<br />

when the image is taken). However, moving<br />

up to an SLR camera plus its underwater<br />

housing is exorbitantly expensive, and<br />

it is also heavy and bulky.<br />

OWNER REPORT – SAILD ANCE II<br />

Flatheads, and many colours of Frogfi sh. Finding<br />

one of these amazing creatures by oneself<br />

is such a thrill. Muck diving provides an amazing<br />

opportunity to do macro photography; the<br />

water is calm and these little sea creatures<br />

do not move around much, so you can get very<br />

close to them.<br />

We have had a truly wonderful time exploring<br />

the world both on land and below the waves.<br />

Our <strong>Oyster</strong> has provided us with this opportunity<br />

and we have seen a world that the average<br />

tourist doesn’t even know exists. e whole<br />

underwater experience has been a revelation.<br />

On every snorkel or dive one can see something<br />

new and diff erent, from the majestic Whale<br />

Shark to the miniscule Nudibranch, and that<br />

brings a smile. We have also come to a deeply<br />

felt understanding of the need to balance<br />

the demands of the civilized world with the<br />

protection of the natural life that surrounds<br />

us in the seas. We hope that the description<br />

of some of our experiences has whetted your<br />

appetite to explore the beautiful world under<br />

your boat. It is easy to get started.<br />

We wish you all good sailing and also wonderful<br />

snorkeling and diving – you will discover it will<br />

enhance every voyage.<br />

Photos: Virginia Dimsey<br />

Tips for successful diving, snorkeling, and underwater photography<br />

Just as having spare parts for your<br />

boat, it is a good idea to have a<br />

second camera for land photographs.<br />

Remember, to prevent accidents, set<br />

everything up the night before!<br />

We recommend a BAUER<br />

Compressor. We bought another,<br />

cheaper make and have had nothing<br />

but trouble. Most <strong>Oyster</strong> yachts have<br />

a large enough lazarette to install<br />

a compressor and tanks.<br />

Carry a dive torch both day and night<br />

to see the real colours of the reef.<br />

Le Page<br />

Top le : Translucent Shrimp<br />

Bottom le : Sweetlips<br />

Bottom right: Crown of orns<br />

Must have book:<br />

Reef Fish Identifi cation Tropical Pacifi c<br />

by New World Publications. A comprehensive<br />

fi eld guide – see: www.fi shid.com<br />

Other useful books:<br />

Indo-Pacifi c Coral Reef Field Guide<br />

by Allen & Steene. is is very comprehensive<br />

and includes reef plants and animals.<br />

Tropical Reef Research – Coral Reef Animals<br />

of the Indo-Pacifi c by Gosliner, Behrens,<br />

Williams. Covers all reef animals except fi sh.<br />

e Snorkeler’s Guide to the Coral Reef<br />

by Paddy Ryan, Sea Challengers Publications,<br />

an excellent introduction book.<br />

Right Page<br />

Top right: Green Turtle<br />

Bottom right: Frogfi sh<br />

WINTER 2011 31


32<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

OYSTER 100 by Dubois<br />

THE FIRST OYSTER SUPERYACHT, SARAFIN, IS LAUNCHED


THE OYSTER 100<br />

WINTER 2011 33


34<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

The new <strong>Oyster</strong> Superyacht project has been a long haul, in fact four years in the<br />

making. �e first two years of this immense project were spent in creating the bespoke<br />

construction facility, building the team, fabricating the tooling and establishing the<br />

composite resources to infuse these large yachts.<br />

Now the waiting is over and the first of the<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Superyachts is on the water and ready<br />

for handover.<br />

�e new <strong>Oyster</strong> 100 by Dubois brings a unique<br />

package to the 100 foot marketplace by offering<br />

all the considerable benefits of a top-of-the-range,<br />

custom built superyacht, whilst benefiting from<br />

a proven design, tried and tested engineering,<br />

systems and equipment, all optimised for cruising<br />

in true comfort.<br />

Sarafin’s performance-orientated hull shape from<br />

Dubois Naval Architects is powered by a sport rig,<br />

carbon spars and Spectra carbon sails. She also<br />

has optional in-boom furling, which transforms<br />

the raising, setting and lowering of the main to<br />

a single lever operation at the helm station.<br />

Motoring out to open water, first impressions<br />

were that Sarafin is staggeringly quiet. Her flexibly<br />

mounted, ‘floating’ interior is built to the highest<br />

standards of superyacht construction, no part of<br />

the accommodation is solidly fixed to the structure,<br />

minimising sound and vibration levels. At only<br />

1500rpm the engine was almost inaudible yet she<br />

was achieving 11 knots. At the more relaxed<br />

speed of 9 knots she has the fuel capacity to<br />

cross the Atlantic and also run one of her large<br />

generators 24/7.<br />

“THE FIRST BOAT IN THE OYSTER<br />

SUPERYACHT RANGE COMBINES THE<br />

EFFICIENCY OF SEMI-CUSTOM DESIGN<br />

WITH EXCELLENT SAILING CAPABILITY<br />

AND BIG YACHT STYLE.”<br />

BOAT INTERNATIONAL, DECEMBER 2011


THE OYSTER 100<br />

WINTER 2011 35


36<br />

OYSTER NEWS


THE OYSTER 100<br />

“SARAFIN IS NOT A LIGHTWEIGHT FLYER LIKE SO MANY OF THE<br />

NEW-STYLE 100S FROM YARDS SUCH AS CNB, SOUTHWIND OR<br />

COMET. HER PURPOSE AND PRICE ARE DIFFERENT, HER BUILD AND<br />

DETAILING CONSIDERABLY MORE SUBSTANTIAL. SHE IS MODERN,<br />

WITHOUT A DOUBT, BUT SEAMANSHIP REMAINS A PRIORITY AND<br />

THE EVIDENT TENDENCY AT THIS SIZE TOWARDS STYLE OVER<br />

FUNCTION HAS BEEN AVOIDED…<br />

…SHE’S DESIGNED TO GO ROUND THE WORLD,<br />

NOT JUST ROUND THE CORNER!”<br />

SUPERSAIL WORLD, DECEMBER 2011<br />

Sarafin’s first sail began in light winds but, despite this, she quickly proved a delight<br />

to sail, making 8 knots upwind in 8 knots true wind, whilst in the occasional gusts<br />

of 15-20 knots she quickly accelerated to over 12 knots. At 30 degrees close-hauled<br />

she easily managed 9.2 knots. Her clean lines designed by Dubois showed little<br />

wake or energy lost to wave making.<br />

Her deck layout, which is designed to put the<br />

true sailing enthusiast in full command, served<br />

to maximise the enjoyment and thrill of helming<br />

such a fast and responsive yacht. Sarafin<br />

is a yacht for ‘first class’ long-distance<br />

passage-making, with 300 miles a day possible<br />

on fast reaches.<br />

As a medium displacement yacht, the <strong>Oyster</strong> 100<br />

by Dubois offers a class-leading amount of usable<br />

living space. Stepping on board Sarafin for the first<br />

time you are immediately struck by the spacious<br />

deck areas and overwhelmed by the incredible<br />

amount of interior volume. �e <strong>Oyster</strong> 100 offers<br />

significantly more accommodation space than<br />

other semi-production 100’ yachts with an internal<br />

volume more normally associated with 110’ to 115’<br />

custom built yachts, yet each owner enjoys a large<br />

degree of flexibility when designing their preferred<br />

interior. A wide choice of interior timbers, cabin<br />

soles, deckhead and bulkhead finishes are<br />

available, together with an almost limitless<br />

range of furnishings, fixtures and fittings.<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 100-02 is progressing well alongside<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 125-01 in this new semi-production<br />

facility and both these yachts will be sailing<br />

in 2012.<br />

�e <strong>Oyster</strong> 100 by Dubois is built to Lloyds ☩100<br />

A1 SSC Yacht Mono G6 MCHand MCA LY2<br />

Code. Certified to the highest levels for global<br />

commercial operation, the <strong>Oyster</strong> Superyachts<br />

are now a sailing reality and we’re very proud<br />

of what we’ve achieved!<br />

For more information about the <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

Superyachts please contact Murray Aitken:<br />

murray.aitken@oystermarine.com<br />

Photos: Selim Kemahli<br />

OYSTER SUPERYACHT FACTS<br />

� �e internal volume of the <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

100 by Dubois is 410m3 – some<br />

80% larger than an <strong>Oyster</strong> 82.<br />

� �e internal volume of the <strong>Oyster</strong> 125<br />

by Dubois is nearly 710m3 , making<br />

her approximately three times the<br />

size of an <strong>Oyster</strong> 82.<br />

� It<br />

has taken around four times as<br />

many hours to build the <strong>Oyster</strong> 100<br />

as an <strong>Oyster</strong> 82!<br />

� �e infusion of the <strong>Oyster</strong> 125<br />

by Dubois hull created a world<br />

record of 6.2 tonnes of resin<br />

in one four-hour infusion.<br />

WINTER 2011 37


38<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

OYSTER SUPERYACHTS, BIG BOATS<br />

AND CUSTOM YACHTS<br />

With the announcement of the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 and some recently signed contracts,<br />

we now have the first <strong>Oyster</strong> 725 and <strong>Oyster</strong> 885 in build at the <strong>Oyster</strong> yard in Southampton.<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 885-02 arrives in January 2012, followed three months later by 885-03, and then<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 825-01 – so the activity in Southampton will be quite a sight by mid summer!<br />

Each of these new <strong>Oyster</strong> yachts has benefited<br />

from our experience in developing the <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

Superyachts and we are delighted to see the<br />

reports in the press of the first <strong>Oyster</strong> 100 by<br />

Dubois, Sarafin. �is first of the three yachts we<br />

currently have in build with our partners RMK<br />

Marine in Turkey is certainly making her mark.<br />

Acknowledging the positive gains we’ve had<br />

from commissioning the technically complex<br />

Sarafin at the same location as we complete<br />

the fit-out, we are developing plans to fully<br />

rig, commission and handover all the new<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 825s and 885s at <strong>Oyster</strong>’s Southampton<br />

base and by mid 2012 the <strong>Oyster</strong> ‘Big-Boat’<br />

centre at Saxon Wharf will be fully operational.<br />

Recognising and developing the huge strengths<br />

in our SYS Custom and Refit teams alongside<br />

this new <strong>Oyster</strong> ‘Big-Boat’ focus will enable us<br />

to accommodate more customisation on the<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 825 and 885. We’ve also been learning<br />

from building the <strong>Oyster</strong> Superyachts, helped<br />

by our Southampton team. As part of this we’re<br />

pleased that Matthew Morgan rejoins <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

from the RMK Project Team, having previously<br />

worked for <strong>Oyster</strong> as a Project Manager<br />

between 2004 and 2008. Matthew will be part<br />

of the <strong>Oyster</strong> 'Big-Boat' team in Southampton.


OYSTER DESIGN REVIEW<br />

CREATIVE THINKING AND DESIGN<br />

INNOVATION<br />

As part of our success over nearly four decades, <strong>Oyster</strong> has always been willing to listen<br />

to customers, to explore new ideas, to test new technology and to learn from others.<br />

�e ‘<strong>Oyster</strong> DNA’ has evolved through careful evaluation and decision making and<br />

knowing when to say yes and, sometimes, when to say no!<br />

We have built over 200 yachts in the current<br />

range of <strong>Oyster</strong> Deck Saloons from the <strong>Oyster</strong> 46<br />

to the <strong>Oyster</strong> 82 and within this fleet there have<br />

been many custom projects. Hull numbers 14 and<br />

17 of the <strong>Oyster</strong> 82 both have extended a� decks,<br />

counter sterns and folding transom doors.<br />

A wide variety of rig configurations have been<br />

supplied across the range, li�ing performance<br />

significantly on some yachts with fully battened<br />

mainsails on carbon rigs and V-profile ‘Park-<br />

Avenue’ booms. We have even built a special<br />

carbon pre-preg hull and deck for an <strong>Oyster</strong> 72,<br />

which turned out more than 15 tonnes lighter<br />

than the rest of the <strong>Oyster</strong> 72s. And as featured<br />

in the last issue of <strong>Oyster</strong> News, we’ve developed<br />

shoal dra� and SuperShoal, centreboard keels<br />

and proven the twin rudder concept with<br />

tank testing.<br />

Generally, most of these custom projects and<br />

technical developments have gone on in the<br />

background working with individual owners<br />

to build them very special, personalised yachts,<br />

but we now feel it’s time to sing the praises<br />

of our creative, design and technical teams<br />

more loudly!<br />

WINTER 2011 39


40<br />

Above top: <strong>Oyster</strong> 825<br />

custom transom<br />

Above middle and bottom:<br />

Featuring a unique patented<br />

pressure sensitive, power assist,<br />

operating system that makes<br />

opening and closing the door<br />

intuitive to the user.<br />

Above right: Cutaway design<br />

section of the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 825<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

Across the <strong>Oyster</strong> range we have been<br />

developing and introducing new technology<br />

and ideas. �e <strong>Oyster</strong> Design Team, working<br />

with the Custom and Refit specialist team at<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong>’s Southampton Yacht Services operation,<br />

considered broader concepts.<br />

�e new <strong>Oyster</strong> 885 uses forced air-handling<br />

systems to change the air six times an hour,<br />

doing away with the need for dorades and<br />

simplifying the deck layout.<br />

Composite chain plates, bonded in and<br />

part of the hull construction, have been<br />

laboratory tested and will be introduced<br />

on the <strong>Oyster</strong> 885.<br />

Foam cored bulkheads will be fitted as standard<br />

from the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 upwards, generating<br />

lightness, strength and noise/vibration damping.<br />

Carbon ‘I’ beams, supporting the saloon floors<br />

in the <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 and 885, facilitate highly<br />

effective sound deadening between the<br />

machinery and living spaces.<br />

�e design for the state-of-the-art ‘ranch style’<br />

glass doors, leading from the cockpit of the<br />

825 and 885 are the results of painstaking<br />

research and development, in collaboration<br />

with technical specialists.<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong>’s Deck Saloon yachts have long been<br />

admired for their light and airy interiors,<br />

and in what we believe is a first, the new<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 825 will feature curved glass<br />

opening deck saloon windows.<br />

�ese are just a small sample of the many<br />

innovative details embedded in the new<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> yachts, gained from our experience<br />

in building the new <strong>Oyster</strong> Superyachts;<br />

restoring 100-year-old Classic yachts and from<br />

building over 600 <strong>Oyster</strong> Deck Saloon yachts<br />

since the mid 1980’s. �e combined talents<br />

of our designers, project managers, shipwrights,<br />

engineers and cra�smen within the <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

Group just gets better and better, as does what<br />

we can offer the market – world leading yachts.<br />

THE COMBINED TALENTS OF OUR DESIGNERS, PROJECT MANAGERS, SHIPWRIGHTS,<br />

ENGINEERS AND CRAFTSMEN WITHIN THE OYSTER GROUP JUST GETS BETTER AND<br />

BETTER, AS DOES WHAT WE CAN OFFER THE MARKET – WORLD LEADING YACHTS.


THE NEW OYSTER 825<br />

INTRODUCING THE<br />

NEW OYSTER 825<br />

�e sleek and stylish new <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 is an exciting addition to the range of new yachts<br />

<strong>launched</strong> by <strong>Oyster</strong> over the past two years and features <strong>Oyster</strong>’s new, striking and<br />

contemporary styling first seen with the highly successful <strong>Oyster</strong> 625 (of which 10 are<br />

now already sold).<br />

With clean and easily driven hull lines drawn<br />

by Rob Humphreys and detailed styling and<br />

engineering developed by the <strong>Oyster</strong> Design<br />

Team, the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 is sure to attract<br />

acclaim wherever she goes.<br />

With nearly 15% more internal volume than her<br />

predecessor – the very successful <strong>Oyster</strong> 82<br />

(of which 17 have been built since 2002) – the<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Design Team has used this extra space<br />

to maximize the en-suite owner and guest<br />

accommodation in the three double cabins<br />

a�, whilst providing a clear separation of space<br />

for up to four professional crew to discreetly<br />

run the yacht and enable them to provide a<br />

‘six star’ service for the owner and his guests<br />

or charter guests.<br />

Developing the latest interior styling, now seen<br />

on the <strong>Oyster</strong> 625, 725 and 885 and building<br />

on the engineering knowledge gained from<br />

the <strong>Oyster</strong> Group’s successful development of<br />

the <strong>Oyster</strong> Superyachts, the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 825<br />

provides ‘Superyacht experience’ in levels<br />

of style and comfort for the owner who still<br />

enjoys sailing the yacht himself with family and<br />

friends yet wants the balance of supporting<br />

his sailing with professional crew.<br />

�e <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 is a powerful yacht that can eat<br />

up 250 miles per day on long passages without<br />

drawing breath. From every angle she is refined<br />

and elegant. Just as at home safely exploring the<br />

world’s oceans as cruising into Costa Smeralda,<br />

the <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 is designed for the owner who<br />

seeks adventure and performance but with the<br />

peace of mind of safety and every comfort to<br />

hand. �e spacious, ergonomically planned<br />

cockpit comfortably separates guests from sail<br />

handling, whilst the huge areas of flush deck,<br />

both forward and a�, provide the perfect spot<br />

for sunbathing and entertaining.<br />

With options for a carbon rig and personalisation<br />

using the custom-build resources at <strong>Oyster</strong>’s<br />

Southampton shipyard, the first <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 will<br />

start production in late Spring 2012 for delivery<br />

in Summer 2013.<br />

WINTER 2011 41


42<br />

Length Overall (including bowsprit): 25.15m 82' 6"<br />

Length of Hull: 24.14m 79' 03"<br />

Length of Waterline: 21.97m 72' 01"<br />

Beam: 6.31m 20' 8"<br />

Draft (standard): 3.42m 11' 3"<br />

Standard rig and spar type: Semi-fractional sloop<br />

rig with fully battened main<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

NEW OYSTER 825<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 825 Deck Saloon <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 Raised Saloon<br />

OYSTER 825. DIMENSIONS (Provisional)<br />

DESIGNED BY ROB HUMPHREYS AND THE OYSTER DESIGN TEAM<br />

Displacement (standard): 56,000 kgs 123,459 lbs<br />

Typical Engine: Cummins QSB 5.9 305hp (227kW)<br />

Tanks – Fuel: 3,000 litres 660 Imp gals<br />

Tanks – Water: 2,000 litres 440 Imp gals<br />

Sail area with 150% foretriangle<br />

and 15% roach on main:<br />

371 m2 3,993 sq ft<br />

Air draft (Exc Antennae – approx.): 34.16m 112'1"


THE OYSTER 825<br />

RAISED SALOON<br />

THE NEW OYSTER 825<br />

Expanding on what we’ve learned with the <strong>Oyster</strong> Superyachts and the<br />

development of the <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 Deck Saloon, we’ve taken what we can offer<br />

a stage further and can now offer an alternative deck and interior layout, which<br />

will initially be available as an option as the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 Raised Saloon.<br />

�e key design characteristic is a fantastic, almost<br />

single-level living space, linking the cockpit to the<br />

interior saloon with its panoramic outboard vista.<br />

Just a couple of small steps down through the<br />

sliding glass door from the cockpit and the two<br />

areas are connected to provide around 38m 2<br />

of indoor/outdoor living and entertaining space.<br />

Lowering the cockpit level and raising the<br />

saloon allows several layout changes to be<br />

made from her sistership, the <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 Deck<br />

Saloon. �e <strong>Oyster</strong> 825 Raised Saloon moves<br />

the crew accommodation a� and the owner’s<br />

cabin forward. It creates a spacious engine room<br />

under the saloon and facilitates a number<br />

of cabin configurations for up to four double<br />

en-suite cabins.<br />

A fixed or canvas Bimini offers the option for<br />

a child-friendly, partly enclosed cockpit – a safe<br />

and comfortable outdoor living environment for<br />

all the family – with easy access out onto the<br />

expansive, flush a� deck – perfect for<br />

sunbathing or evening cocktails.<br />

WINTER 2011 43


44<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

– A JOURNEY THAT BEAT THE ODDS –<br />

– BY JOCK WISHART –


Back in 2007, whilst in Resolute Bay<br />

preparing for one of his Polar races,<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> yachting enthusiast, Jock<br />

Wishart, was spotted working out<br />

on a rowing ergo in the snow during<br />

a rare moment of downtime. For such<br />

an accomplished veteran oarsman<br />

this shouldn’t have come as any great<br />

surprise, but for the fact it was<br />

-20 degrees centigrade and he<br />

was deep in the Canadian Arctic.<br />

On seeing Jock sweating it out, his<br />

good friend, and fellow Polar Race<br />

organiser, Chris Walker remarked:<br />

“Don’t tell me… what are you going<br />

to do next, row to the North Pole?”<br />

What if, Jock thought, what if that<br />

was actually possible? And so the<br />

seed had been sown…<br />

ROW TO THE POLE<br />

What then followed were four long, at times<br />

torturous years of planning to put together<br />

one of the most ambitious expeditions ever<br />

attempted, to row to a recognised polar<br />

position. For many the concept represented<br />

little more than complete madness – impossible<br />

to comprehend let alone attempt – but for Jock<br />

this was half the appeal. Never one to take the<br />

easy route this was without question to be his<br />

single biggest challenge to date.<br />

He had dedicated his life to adventure and<br />

exploration, along the way recording a number<br />

of remarkable achievements and world firsts.<br />

�e ‘North’ had played a big part in this and was<br />

a place very close to his heart. As the years had<br />

passed, Jock had become increasingly aware of<br />

the dramatic changes taking place to this part<br />

of the world, none more so than the rapidly<br />

diminishing ice coverage. Drawing inspiration<br />

from the impact these changes were having on<br />

the region, Jock was determined to prove that<br />

the ‘impossible’ might in fact be possible.<br />

�e goal was to row from Resolute Bay<br />

(Nunavut, Canada) to the 1996 Magnetic<br />

North Pole, a position he and fellow explorer,<br />

David Hempleman-Adams, had certified for<br />

the Canadian Government all those years<br />

ago, and which today remains one of the<br />

most recognised end points for expeditions<br />

in the north. With a blank piece of paper<br />

Jock then set about plotting what was to be<br />

a very complex expedition – from designing<br />

the ‘ice boat’ to sorting the fit out, transportation<br />

logistics, sponsorship and route planning the<br />

list was endless. For months on end he poured<br />

over the historical data, ice forecasts and every<br />

piece of Arctic research he could lay his hands<br />

on and as the picture began to unfold so did<br />

his dream begin to take shape.<br />

An expedition of this magnitude comes with<br />

a colossal financial burden and one of Jock’s<br />

greatest challenges was to find sponsors to help<br />

get the project off the ground. Without sponsors<br />

there would be no expedition and given the<br />

state of the world economy it was, at best,<br />

optimistic. To kick-start the campaign a headline<br />

sponsor needed to be found and in Old Pulteney<br />

Jock stumbled across a willing partner who<br />

shared his vision, energy and most importantly<br />

excitement for the project – and so it was that<br />

�e Old Pulteney Row To �e Pole was born.<br />

WINTER 2011 45


46<br />

Both crew size and number were dictated<br />

by the boat’s requirement to fit into a DH5<br />

Buffalo plane for transportation to Resolute<br />

Bay – such were the limitations of getting her<br />

to such a remote location. A�er consulting his<br />

boat designers, the plan was agreed to build<br />

a triple scull allowing for a six man crew. �ey<br />

were each hand-picked according to the skill<br />

sets required to put the campaign together,<br />

and over the course of the next few months he<br />

pieced together his dream team – Rob Sleep,<br />

Mark Delstanche, Billy Gammon and BBC<br />

cameraman Mark Beaumont. �e final seat<br />

was filled via a nationwide ‘search’ competition,<br />

in which Captain David Mans beat off stiff<br />

opposition from hundreds of applicants.<br />

A trained oceanographer, David would also<br />

conduct various tests during the expedition<br />

to provide scientific insight into the Arctic’s<br />

changing landscape and how the human body<br />

deals with these extreme temperatures.<br />

With the crew in place the focus turned to<br />

getting the iceboat, later to be christened<br />

The Old Pulteney, built. She was to be our<br />

lifeline during our time at sea and we needed<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

a vessel capable of navigating some potentially<br />

very hazardous waters – conditions and demands<br />

unlike those of any normal ocean row boat. Coping<br />

with volatile seas is one thing, but standing<br />

up to violent clashes with ice another entirely.<br />

�e agreed design, a�er months of consultations<br />

with boat builders and sled designers, was like<br />

so much of this expedition, totally unique. She<br />

was the first of her kind and a cross between<br />

a traditional ocean row boat and a sled – e�cient<br />

in the water but capable of being hauled over the<br />

ice if required. �e strict size specifications meant<br />

special ‘co�n’ berths were carved out in the hull<br />

so, when necessary, all six crew could sleep<br />

(in the loosest possible sense) on the boat at any<br />

one given time… not something for those<br />

suffering a claustrophobic disposition!<br />

Nine months out and the iceboat was ready,<br />

allowing sea trials and crew testing to begin.<br />

Most weekends, over a fittingly harsh winter,<br />

we met in Christchurch to train off the South<br />

coast and as each week passed so new<br />

modifications were added, drills perfected and<br />

training levels intensified. �is was supplemented<br />

by a strict gym regime, churning out hour upon<br />

hour on the ergo in preparation for the 3-hour<br />

shi� system to be used during the expedition.<br />

As the months ticked by so the expedition<br />

gathered pace and the jigsaw began to take<br />

shape. Finally, complete with a few more grey<br />

hairs and a little excess baggage (which we like<br />

to refer to as ‘expedition kilograms’), departure<br />

day arrived. So it was at midday on the 29th July<br />

that we pushed off from Resolute for the start<br />

of our 500 mile voyage into the unknown. It was<br />

a picture perfect morning in the Canadian Arctic<br />

and a�er a final spine tingling ‘call to arms’ speech<br />

from Jock we were off. �e anticipation was<br />

immense and, for Jock especially, emotions were<br />

running at an all-time high. �is had been his<br />

dream, his vision and, as his long suffering wife will<br />

testify, his life for the past four years, and despite<br />

all the setbacks, heartache and financial trauma<br />

this ‘mad cap’ idea was off and… rowing.<br />

Within three hours of leaving Resolute we had<br />

our first taste of what might be in store for us,<br />

as we found ourselves in the middle of a dense<br />

flow of pack ice. One minute we were pulling<br />

four knots on the oars the next we were in<br />

amongst an ice field, weaving our way through


“The Old Pulteney was to be<br />

our lifeline during our time at sea<br />

and we needed a vessel capable<br />

of navigating some potentially<br />

very hazardous waters,<br />

conditions and demands”<br />

mountainous blocks of ice, tracking any and<br />

every lead we could in desperate search of<br />

open water. It was an early reminder of the<br />

unforgiving nature of these waters and whilst we<br />

managed to navigate ourselves to safety this<br />

time around, next time we might not be so lucky.<br />

Much like the first day, the first night was also<br />

eventful. We anchored up in a position from<br />

where we had agreed to meet up with our<br />

camera and support boats for the daunting leap<br />

across the Wellington Channel. However, any<br />

rest we planned to get was interrupted abruptly<br />

as a flotilla of menacing ice floes converged on<br />

us, trapping our anchor and forcing us to take<br />

emergency action to free the iceboat. Needless<br />

to say with tails between legs we limped to<br />

safety a few miles down the coast, bruised but<br />

by no means beaten. �e fact that all of this<br />

happened so early on served as a valuable<br />

wake up call to the fickle nature of the Canadian<br />

Arctic. �is was not a place for the faint-hearted.<br />

�e early ice encounters were far from typical<br />

for the early part of the expedition and the hop<br />

across the channel from Cornwallis Island to<br />

Devon Island proved anything but the hazardous<br />

ROW TO THE POLE<br />

journey so many had predicted. Instead of the<br />

howling northerlies, angry seas and raging<br />

icebergs we were met with so� winds, ice free<br />

calm seas and weather to match that in the<br />

Mediterranean (even allowing for the occasional<br />

stint of topless rowing… hardly what you would<br />

expect in the Canadian Arctic).<br />

�e perpetual 24 hour daylight meant nights<br />

were something of an anathema, where sleep<br />

was dictated more by conditions than by the<br />

time of day. When the conditions were good we<br />

capitalised, ever wary of what might lie around<br />

the corner. However, day a�er day we were met<br />

with clear skies, mild temperatures and, relatively<br />

speaking, ice free seas. In short this was far from<br />

the Arctic scene we had all imagined, and all<br />

thoughts of balaclavas and base-layers were,<br />

for the time being at least, put to one side.<br />

We made amazing progress up Devon Island,<br />

hopping from bay to bay to rest, recover and study<br />

the daily email instalments of ice and weather<br />

forecasts. With each and every bay we visited so<br />

we were met with more and more stunning vistas.<br />

�e landscape was breathtaking – so bleak, yet so<br />

beautiful. Fauna was almost non-existent and but<br />

for the odd scattering of bones there was very<br />

little evidence of life, with terrain more befitting<br />

a lunar landscape than the high Arctic.<br />

As we journeyed up Devon Island so the<br />

fine conditions followed and, bar a couple<br />

of enforced weather stops, our progress<br />

remained untroubled. A�er only 12 days we<br />

found ourselves in position to make our next<br />

big leap, from Grinnell Peninsula to Table<br />

Island. �at we had made it so far so soon<br />

was extraordinary and perhaps early evidence<br />

of just how extensive the ice melt had been<br />

this year. So with our tails up we pushed on,<br />

pulling hard on the oars and stopping only<br />

to take in the breath-taking sights and sounds<br />

that were ever present during this expedition.<br />

However things were to change, and with brutal<br />

effect. Our luck to date had led to an air of<br />

complacency amongst the crew and where<br />

perhaps, with hindsight, we should have<br />

stopped we didn’t and before we knew it we<br />

quickly came face-to-face with a fortress of ice.<br />

O�en the light refracting off the ocean created<br />

misleading illusions of ice, but not this time. Just<br />

like day one conditions changed with ruthless<br />

speed – one minute we were racing along at<br />

(relative) breakneck speed and the next we were<br />

stopped dead in our tracks. Admiration for these<br />

great ice structures quickly turned to fear as the<br />

ice closed in around us with suffocating effect.<br />

As each hour passed so the situation worsened<br />

and the focus shi�ed from one of progress to<br />

one of getting to safety… wherever that may be.<br />

The Old Pulteney came under attack from all<br />

sides – one minute being squeezed and the<br />

next battered and beaten as the vast sheets of<br />

ice converged on her sides. With every clash<br />

of ice she let out another sickening scream of<br />

pain, sending shudders through the crew, each<br />

fearing for how long she could possibly keep up<br />

the valiant fight. As the options became fewer so<br />

tiredness set in and the euphoria of a few hours<br />

earlier was replaced with widespread concern.<br />

�ankfully as quickly as the situation worsened<br />

so it eased and a�er 20+ hours on the oars we<br />

managed to find safety back on land, having<br />

taken our medicine and back tracked some<br />

15 miles. For The Old Pulteney it had been<br />

her first true test but one which she had come<br />

through with flying colours. For the crew it was<br />

a time to lick our wounds, regroup and quickly<br />

get the expedition back on track.<br />

�is change in fortunes was accompanied<br />

with a change in conditions, as the weather<br />

became less predictable and the ice more<br />

widespread. �is led to a change in strategy<br />

as long, uninterrupted stints on the oars were<br />

WINTER 2011 47


48<br />

replaced by short, sharp intense sessions darting<br />

from bolthole to bolthole whenever conditions<br />

allowed. Up to now everything had seemed so<br />

certain, but for now at least the only certainty<br />

was the uncertainty of what lay ahead.<br />

�e further north we went the more frequent<br />

were the delays. Unlike most ocean rows this<br />

expedition was to be an exercise in strategy<br />

over endurance. Weather systems were known<br />

for their volatility, sweeping in with very little<br />

warning and with potentially devastating effect.<br />

Consequently a route of some 73 potential<br />

anchorage points had been mapped out so<br />

we could, as and when necessary, seek refuge<br />

quickly from the weather and/or ice.<br />

�e stop start nature of the expedition meant<br />

that whilst on the one hand it was a race against<br />

time it was also a long protracted game of<br />

patience – which itself presented challenges.<br />

Mindful of the task in hand it was crucial we<br />

used any delays to our advantage, both to keep<br />

our sanity and our sharpness. Getting su�cient<br />

rest was important, but so too was keeping our<br />

eye on the ball and preparing as best we could<br />

for what might lie ahead. So rather than sitting<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

idle, training drills were rehearsed, supplies<br />

counted, the boat cleaned and any necessary<br />

boat maintenance completed… not to mention<br />

cabins fumigated!<br />

�e rowing was, at times, exhausting and the<br />

days spent waiting frustrating, but rarely a day<br />

would go by when we weren’t reminded of just<br />

how lucky we were to be in this special part<br />

of the world. So many childhood dreams are<br />

rooted in the ‘north’ and here we were living<br />

them. Whilst a sighting of Santa Claus was<br />

probably unlikely, the abundance of magical<br />

wildlife more than made up for it – from seals,<br />

walruses, wolves, foxes, whales, reindeer and<br />

of course the much coveted polar bear. With<br />

every sighting ordinary days were instantly<br />

transformed into extraordinary experiences.<br />

An average day on board The Old Pulteney was<br />

a colourful experience. We rowed in two ‘shi�’<br />

systems for three hours at any one given time –<br />

with one man on the helm at all times. We would<br />

each consume four dehydrated meals per day and<br />

one day bag to graze on during and in between<br />

time on the oars (calorific, high energy ‘treats’), in<br />

total allowing for around 6,000 calories per man<br />

per day. It wasn’t gourmet, but unlike the bears,<br />

at least we didn’t have to hunt for our food.<br />

Water was provided either through the on-board<br />

desalinator machine or through stocks collected<br />

from fresh water streams en route.<br />

We would sleep in between shi�s, as and when<br />

our bodies (like computers) needed to shut down<br />

and reboot. When the conditions demanded it,<br />

all six would have to rest at the same time, with<br />

two in the forward and four in the a� cabins<br />

– a challenge far greater than you could ever<br />

imagine requiring a shoe horn to get us in and can<br />

opener to get us out! As for the ‘facilities’ they were<br />

basic but, like so much of the boat, functional – and<br />

for those brave enough (or gently encouraged<br />

by fellow crew mates) showers were taken in the<br />

occasional Arctic stream!<br />

As we ventured further north so ice encounters<br />

became more frequent and tactical stops to<br />

summit hills and plot the path ahead more<br />

necessary. MDA Geospatial provided a crucial<br />

service during the expedition, affectionately<br />

referred to as our ‘eye in the sky’. With their<br />

constant feed of satellite images highlighting<br />

the ice coverage, combined with our ‘live’


data captured from the ground, we were able<br />

to carefully plot our route forward. Progress<br />

was slow and methodical but a� er tip toeing<br />

our way towards the fi nish we eventually got<br />

ourselves to within striking distance. Up to this<br />

point the expedition had felt like a game of two<br />

halves, with the score tied at one apiece, but<br />

there was a distinct feeling in the camp that<br />

King Neptune had one fi nal trick up his sleeve.<br />

What then followed were 48 hours which, in<br />

many ways, were to defi ne the entire expedition.<br />

Having been holed up by the ice and strong<br />

winds for the previous four days, we were<br />

desperate to get moving. With only 50 miles to<br />

the fi nish we were so close but so very far – and<br />

with each day that passed so winter was getting<br />

ever closer and the window of opportunity<br />

closing. A key ingredient to our success was<br />

in recognising the opportunities when they<br />

presented themselves and acting decisively –<br />

and this fi nal stage was a case in point. Whilst<br />

the ice coverage was moderate, and thick in<br />

patches, our intelligence suggested there was<br />

a way through. Once the strong prevailing winds<br />

eased we got back on the oars and slowly edged<br />

our way through and around the ice, once again<br />

tracking leads in search of open water. As had<br />

so o� en been the case, Lady Luck was with us<br />

once again and, no sooner had we discussed the<br />

possibility of seeking refuge back on land, than<br />

the ice parted to reveal clear unbroken water for<br />

as far as the eye could see! Amazing.<br />

From a situation of despair, suddenly the end<br />

was within sight. Mountainous icebergs could<br />

be seen grounded close to shore, evidence<br />

of what might have been a few days, maybe<br />

weeks, earlier but the leads were generous<br />

and plentiful. Calls were duly made back to the<br />

UK to prepare for the fi nal push and thoughts<br />

turned to the celebrations that were surely just<br />

around the corner. However like so many times<br />

before King Neptune had other ideas…<br />

ROW TO THE POLE<br />

With barely 2.5 miles to go, the vast expanse of<br />

clear water began to shrink and the wide-open<br />

channels were replaced with tight meandering<br />

leads. � e water was ‘greasy’ and the air thick<br />

with an eerie silence. Something wasn’t right<br />

and whilst another summit to a hill suggested<br />

there might be a route through it wasn’t long<br />

before we came up against the biggest obstacle<br />

yet, an impenetrable blanket of ice. It stretched<br />

for as far as the eye could see, locked together<br />

as one huge expanse of ice. � e gauntlet had<br />

been laid down, now it was our turn to respond.<br />

� e fi nish line was agonisingly close, but to get<br />

there we would have to fi nd a way through, or<br />

over the ice. With little or no chance of rowing<br />

through the ice we were le� with no option other<br />

than to man haul the iceboat over the remaining<br />

2.3 miles. We had been through specialised<br />

training for this eventuality but ever hoping<br />

the need would never arise and, together with<br />

the iceboat’s unique ‘sled’ design we were well<br />

prepared to take on this fi nal challenge. A� er<br />

a scouting mission to plot a route over and<br />

through the icy terrain we set about dragging<br />

The Old Pulteney towards the fi nish.<br />

Dressed in dry suits we set off on the torturous<br />

mission to winch, push and drag the iceboat<br />

over the terrain and through the occasional lead<br />

as slowly but surely we inched our way ever<br />

closer to the fi nish line. On the back of 38 hours<br />

non-stop rowing the bodies were spent but,<br />

with the end in sight, we made one fi nal push.<br />

At 18.30 on 25th August 2011, a� er 10 hours of<br />

man hauling and with the GPS reading 78°35.7N<br />

104°11.9W we had made it. � e ‘attempt’ was<br />

now an ‘achievement’ and in so doing we had<br />

become the fi rst crew to take a row boat to the<br />

1996 Magnetic North Pole… and for 498 miles<br />

of this journey we had rowed her there!<br />

With no fi nish ‘line’, celebrating the end was<br />

a very diff erent and almost certainly more<br />

anti-climactic experience, although a� er 36 hours<br />

of bone shattering eff ort all we really wanted<br />

was a good feed and few hours rest! Where<br />

most expeditions wind down on reaching the<br />

fi nish, we still had our work cut out to fi nd<br />

the safety of land, and then onwards to the<br />

extraction point. A� er a few hours rest and the<br />

obligatory photos (and man hugs) we set about<br />

another long hard day of hauling, dragging and<br />

eventually rowing until we fi nally made it to land.<br />

Like so much of this expedition our timing had<br />

been fortuitous as the waters started to freeze<br />

shortly a� er our arrival on land. � e winter was<br />

closing in fast, and following a fi nal 75km hike to<br />

Isaachsen our Twin Otter plane arrived and we<br />

were airli� ed out on 31st August.<br />

Hairy, smelly and a good deal lighter, the time<br />

had come to leave the place we had called<br />

home for the past 33 days and close the book<br />

on what had been an epic Arctic story. � at we<br />

succeeded was in no small measure down to<br />

luck, as Jock would later comment:<br />

“It is only now I have come to realise just how<br />

lucky we were to have the right conditions this<br />

year to complete this attempt. I always felt it was<br />

hypothetically possible, but having made the<br />

voyage, it’s clear we were pushing on the limits<br />

of what was possible – even allowing for the<br />

huge changes attributed to climate change.”<br />

� ere is no question that whilst we can be<br />

immensely proud of our achievement it comes<br />

with a feeling of bitter sweet success, knowing<br />

it was only possible due to the dramatic changes<br />

taking place in this very special part of the world.<br />

Whilst we are not qualifi ed to pass judgement on<br />

this we hope our eff orts will, if nothing else, serve<br />

as further evidence to this fact.<br />

To fi nd out more about Jock’s journey please<br />

visit www.rowtothepole.com<br />

Photos:<br />

Billy Gammon, Mark Beaumont & Mark Delstanche<br />

WINTER 2011 49


50<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

Miss Tippy<br />

BY FAMILY NORTON, OYSTER 56 MISS TIPPY


����������������<br />

� e thing I really enjoyed was learning to dive and<br />

I recommend it as one of the most amazing things<br />

I did on our trip. It was like entering a fantasy world<br />

with all the vibrant under ocean coral, fi shes and even<br />

the occasional moray eel!<br />

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When we started our trip I was very scared of sharks,<br />

which sometimes made me afraid of going into the<br />

sea. A� er having swum with them and fed them I have<br />

warmed to them! � ey’re probably just as scared of us<br />

as we are of them. Did you know they only kill you from<br />

fear of territorial invasion or if they think you are seals or<br />

turtles? I’ve heard that if you put human and fi sh blood<br />

in the water they go for fi sh, and that the fi lm Jaws was<br />

only made to scare people! What I fi nd sad is that some<br />

OWNER REPORT – MISS TIPPY<br />

fi shermen kill the sharks, cut off their fi ns for soup and<br />

then throw the fi nless dead shark back into the water.<br />

What have the sharks done to them? I also learnt that<br />

if you aggravate the shark it will most likely eat you… just<br />

keep that in mind when you meet up with a shark!<br />

I was also scared of pirates and still am from our recent<br />

trauma, which was tremendously scary. Now I always<br />

think it could have been us that were pirated so am<br />

conscious that we were very lucky to have had<br />

a narrow escape.<br />

Whilst being away I learnt a lot and now I appreciate<br />

how lucky we are to have a beautiful house, showers,<br />

baths, electricity etc. A few weeks a� er we had moved<br />

back into our house we had a 24-hour power cut. We<br />

found it very hard to live without electricity having been<br />

using it non-stop for the few weeks we had been home<br />

and yet we have met many people who don’t even have<br />

a toilet let alone electricity!<br />

I now enjoy being home and back at school. It’s a lot<br />

diff erent and better than boat school as you’re with<br />

your friends and there are a few late night sleepovers<br />

including lots of sweets and movies.<br />

It’s basically just nice to have friends my own age<br />

to talk to who understand more, even though I had<br />

Charlie and Freddie it was not the same! But we did<br />

build a strong bond and it’s still strong. We have an<br />

occasional fi ght but it all works out in the end much<br />

easier than it used to.<br />

So the trip has been great in lots of diff erent ways and<br />

I would defi nitely recommend it. Good luck to those<br />

who are about to do it but make sure to be careful!<br />

WINTER 2011 51


52<br />

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On the trip I realised that after having enjoyed years<br />

of luxury at home with my parents taking me, reluctantly,<br />

sailing, that it was just as much fun touring on a boat<br />

as playing with friends or shooting bottles in the back<br />

garden. � e fun was also mixed with dangers like pirates,<br />

cannibals, sharks, accidents and bad storms.<br />

Some of the most fun things I did involved water. � ere<br />

were activities like scuba diving, canoeing, dinghy sailing,<br />

windsurfi ng and wakeboarding. My sisters and I learnt<br />

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OYSTER NEWS<br />

to dive in Gili Air, a small island off the coast of Indonesia,<br />

here we had Halloween with our late friends Phyllis and<br />

Bob who were killed by pirates. We were also joined<br />

by other boats, with friends with whom we had built<br />

a bond with over a year or so of meeting in diff erent<br />

parts of the world.<br />

We had magnifi cent dives in places like Australia,<br />

Indonesia, � ailand and many more places including<br />

some of the best dive sites in the world.<br />

My Dad and I enjoyed fi shing and especially spear<br />

fi shing, we would ask locals where the best fi sh hot<br />

spots were and what tackle to use. � e amount of fi sh<br />

we caught and ate was phenomenal! We had one fi sh<br />

the same size as my 11-year old sister, which fi lled up our<br />

freezer with steaks. We didn’t eat too many lobster<br />

or crayfi sh as my sister is allergic to them, but we still<br />

had our fair share.<br />

� e abundance of fi sh was only disturbed on the trip<br />

down to Lanzarote where we only caught a Gare fi sh<br />

(which tasted good) and on the way from India to<br />

Oman when we had pirates hot on our tail!<br />

� e trip opened my eyes to a much bigger world than<br />

the one I already knew. It taught me amazing things such<br />

as the skills involved for carving bones, wood and stones<br />

and the many diff erent types of tools and weapons!<br />

We saw people jumping off 80 foot cliff s and even tried<br />

some smaller jumps ourselves! I learned to free-dive, drive<br />

a 4x4, fi sh, sharpen a machete with coral, chum water<br />

for sharks, get the best type of coconut, climb palm trees<br />

with only a machete (useful things machetes), what type<br />

of fi shing tackle to use on certain passages, how to hunt<br />

and kill giant robber crabs, how to cook and eat robber<br />

crab stomach with coconut shavings and many, many<br />

more things, so many that I probably can’t fi t them<br />

on a computer!<br />

So, I’ll draw the line and say that the trip was amazing,<br />

slightly scary, a bit crazed but overall brilliant!


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� inking back to before the trip, my family – particularly<br />

Dad, had become enveloped in what I think of as the<br />

‘routine bubble’. We operated as every other family<br />

did: morning school runs, late work hours, short family<br />

weekends and sunny holidays. So when my parents<br />

presented this idea of a circumnavigation, ‘popping the<br />

bubble’ seemed an impossible and frightening concept;<br />

a new lifestyle, a deviation of the traditional routine.<br />

However, my father’s thirst for adventure was<br />

infectious. By the time we reached Spain, new<br />

ways of communication and teamwork had grown<br />

between us. I’d always interpreted the term ‘bonding’<br />

as a stereotypical description, but sailing, living and<br />

growing in such close quarters with my brother<br />

and sister defi nitely brought us together. � ey<br />

are my best friends, though they never tried<br />

to be. We fell into a natural friendship, especially<br />

in long passages and di� cult times.<br />

I also found a new relationship with my Mum.<br />

One night, when I called her one of my best friends,<br />

she objected saying, “I only want to be your best<br />

mother”. Only on our return home and to school<br />

did I understand what she had said, and she really<br />

is the best mother I could wish for.<br />

��������������������������������<br />

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OWNER REPORT – MISS TIPPY<br />

Last but not least: old Dad. With our early relationship<br />

shadowed by his growing business, getting to know<br />

him was a gi� . We spent countless starry nights listening<br />

to the genius of Bill Bryson (CD: A Short History of<br />

Everything, I defi nitely recommend it!) and contemplating<br />

the universe. Dad awakened a deeper part of my mind;<br />

we spent many hours debating theories of creation, the<br />

existence of stars, life and religion… name anything and<br />

I’m sure it has come up in conversation!<br />

In this part of my mind also dawned a broader love<br />

for culture as I was introduced to a gigantic variety<br />

of people. I found a large part of this interest<br />

in hearing Annie and Freddie’s feelings and opinions<br />

of all the things we saw – it was amazing to be able<br />

to experience things through their eyes.<br />

In all, the trip brought me a new interpretation<br />

of maturity: it’s not all about material belongings,<br />

drink, drugs, sex; but in the way you cope and<br />

co-operate in di� cult situations. I am looking<br />

forward to sharing this view with my school<br />

friends and with the readers of <strong>Oyster</strong> News.<br />

WINTER 2011 53


54<br />

�����������������<br />

During our trip I evolved from being a wife supporting<br />

my husband in his dream, to a fellow sailor discovering<br />

my own deep respect and love of the sea.<br />

Contrary to my fear of solo night watches, I found that<br />

I got immense enjoyment sailing through the endless<br />

darkness to the sound of the waves in our beautiful<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong>, following the same stars as historical explorers.<br />

We set out as Mum and Dad with three children<br />

on board and have returned not just as a family but<br />

as a team. Brian had prepared us all so well for almost<br />

any eventuality, however, I really did wonder how we<br />

would look a� er the children if we had a crisis. Incredibly<br />

when we hit several crises the children actually looked<br />

a� er us! We watched our children grow, not only<br />

physically, but in maturity and confi dence beyond their<br />

years. As well as fun, sun and adventure, we laboured<br />

together through storms, illness, a life-threatening<br />

accident and close encounters with hostile pirates.<br />

We not only survived but became stronger with<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

�������������������������������<br />

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mutual respect and with an incredible bond.<br />

I am so proud of my extraordinary family.<br />

Back at home now, a� er this amazing experience<br />

and having shared responsibilities for so long on board<br />

Miss Tippy, the children are reunited with their friends,<br />

thriving at school, eagerly taking part in sports, and<br />

literally just happy being carefree kids again.<br />

� roughout our voyage Miss Tippy was always our<br />

‘rock’ and very much a part of our family, she carried<br />

us over 20,000 miles and in style and comfort and the<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> team were so supportive, sending not only vital<br />

spares to all corners of the world and satellite messages<br />

with technical information but also many messages<br />

of encouragement which we all greatly appreciated,<br />

it felt like an extended family was looking out for us<br />

from afar and Liz Whitman’s suggestion that we write<br />

for the <strong>Oyster</strong> magazine has given us a lovely memory<br />

of the voyage.<br />

� e circumnavigation really was an awesome and<br />

life-changing adventure for us.<br />

It fulfi lled our dreams and we have come home a stronger<br />

family. I sometimes feel overwhelmed at the thought<br />

of what we have been through and then when I relax,<br />

the memories of the majestic sea are enough to calm<br />

me to sleep, and I dream of doing it all again.


�����<br />

We started our journey with fears of storms, collisions<br />

with reefs and other sailing calamities. I was also<br />

worried about how we would get on as a family in such<br />

a close environment and without formal education for<br />

the children. However, in hindsight these risks were not<br />

so great and when they did manifest themselves we<br />

rose to the occasion.<br />

We encountered several severe storms but found that<br />

Miss Tippy shrugged off the huge seas about us. We had<br />

our only collision at the start of the trip when we hit a buoy<br />

in the River Orwell only hours a� er we le� Fox’s Marina<br />

with our brand new boat! Fortunately we were destined<br />

not to repeat such a mistake for the next 20,000<br />

or so miles!<br />

Our most signifi cant sailing calamity was when a fi tting<br />

broke and the spinnaker pole fell on my head, splitting<br />

it open and rendering me unconscious. � is is where all<br />

the planning and practice came to the fore. Everyone<br />

sprang into action. Ship’s Doctor, Sheila wrapped my<br />

head together and hailed the coastguard. First Mate,<br />

Charlie (then 12) took charge at the helm, Navigator<br />

Freddie (11) found the nearest port and plotted our<br />

course. Galley Slave and Nurse, Annie (9) kept the<br />

patient hydrated and conscious to avoid a potential<br />

coma. For me the experience highlighted just how vital<br />

it is to work as a team on a yacht. I’m sure the outcome<br />

would have been much worse if we hadn’t had defi ned<br />

roles, which everyone automatically carried out when<br />

we were in crisis.<br />

� e family grew together in a much deeper and stronger<br />

way than I had envisaged. I really can’t remember any<br />

arguments at all. I guess we had a shared purpose and<br />

a big challenge to face up to that focused all our energies<br />

in the right direction. I have a new found respect for each<br />

of my crewmates. Sheila’s strength and wisdom was<br />

OWNER REPORT – MISS TIPPY<br />

amazing and my respect for my children grew hugely<br />

as I saw them grow in skill, confi dence, humility and<br />

appetite for life as we voyaged.<br />

� e trip itself was harder work than I thought it would<br />

be. We travelled to and explored 30 countries. Our<br />

life consisted of long voyages, followed by frantic<br />

maintenance and then busy jaunts inland to immerse<br />

ourselves among the communities and marvel at the<br />

sights of the countries we visited.<br />

We also explored the magnifi cent underwater world.<br />

While I knew we were going through some of the best<br />

dive locations in the world I wasn’t really prepared for<br />

the beauty and abundance of life that we discovered<br />

in the more remote locations. We were reluctant for<br />

our children to dive initially but over time found out<br />

that we could trust them to be careful and they all<br />

became qualifi ed scuba divers. Seeing my children’s<br />

wide-eyed awe reinforced my love for this alien world.<br />

I swam among dolphins with Annie, watched Freddie<br />

as he fearlessly dri� ed among sharks and laughed in<br />

my mask at Charlie doing underwater somersaults a� er<br />

discovering a pink anenome! � e list could go on and on…<br />

����������������������<br />

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��������������<br />

To fi t over 20,000 miles into a two year trip inevitably<br />

made it harder than a more leisurely four or fi ve year<br />

voyage. However, the pace had some unexpected<br />

advantages. � e rapid succession of encounters with<br />

diff erent people, and traditions brought their respective<br />

similarities and diff erences into sharp focus enabling<br />

us to savour them more deeply. Moreover, our two-year<br />

trip fi tted nicely into our life plan. We felt reasonably<br />

confi dent that a two-year gap in schooling would not<br />

cause irrevocable harm to our children!<br />

WINTER 2011 55


56<br />

� e trip gave me a deeper respect for our environment<br />

and I really enjoyed the freedom to anchor where<br />

we liked. We thrived on beautiful sunsets amid the<br />

majestic expanse of the sea. Our experiences at sea<br />

were mirrored by adventures on land… whether it was<br />

trekking through the jungle to the rim of a brooding<br />

volcano or watching bizarre animals such as the scary<br />

Komodo Dragons frolicking on the shore. Both freedom<br />

and the environment suff ered as we travelled towards<br />

developing parts of the world. However, we also saw<br />

growing awareness of the need for more care of the<br />

environment. I don’t think we’ve got the balance right<br />

yet but I have some optimism that we’re moving in the<br />

right direction.<br />

� e trip has aff ected my outlook on life in a fairly<br />

fundamental way. We met many who would be poor<br />

by western standards but who still have a tremendous<br />

quality of life. People like the Kuna Indians who live in<br />

communal huts without electricity or many of the things<br />

we consider essential but who enjoy an abundance of<br />

food and a community ethos the likes of which I have<br />

never seen before. In French Polynesia I was impressed<br />

that people’s inherent self-respect meant they were<br />

unable to accept one-way gi� s. However, they valued<br />

many of the western goods that we had aboard and we<br />

enjoyed bartering for fresh fruit or traditional artwork.<br />

In the slums of Mumbai we found people who were very<br />

poor but who worked hard and had happiness and hope.<br />

I’ve not had a ‘moment of truth’ where I want to give<br />

everything up but I certainly have a more balanced view<br />

of life, which is deeply impacting the way that I now live<br />

at home.<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

I o� en thought about returning to the ‘real world’<br />

particularly once past half way. � ese thoughts brought<br />

mixed emotions. I was looking forward to returning home<br />

and even had some weird desire to work but I was also<br />

fearful that I might somehow not be able to re-engage.<br />

Once home I felt quite disorientated initially… particularly<br />

when I took my fi rst commuter train to London! I really<br />

began to question whether my life back in ‘civilisation’<br />

was in fact the ‘unreal’ one. I’ve settled in now and I’m<br />

glad to be back home. I didn’t fi nd anywhere on the trip<br />

I’d rather live. However, I don’t think I’ll ever be complete<br />

without an occasional foray into the wilderness of the<br />

sea, or some remote and thinly populated region.<br />

Our trip was marred by the tragedy of the murders of<br />

our fellow ralliers by Somali pirates. � e sadness of this<br />

will stay with me forever as will a deep guilt that I had<br />

exposed my family to such dangers. However disturbing<br />

that experience has been for us all it does not overrule<br />

my fi nal refl ection on the trip. We’ve been so incredibly<br />

privileged to see the world in this way, to meet so many<br />

wonderful people and to have shared this experience as<br />

a family. � e trepidation, and hard work before, during<br />

and a� er the trip has all been worthwhile. I can most<br />

thoroughly recommend the experience!


OWNER REPORT – MISS TIPPY<br />

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WINTER 2011 57


58<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

OYSTER YACHT BUILDERS | CLASSIC YACHT REFIT & REPAIR | SUPERYACHT FIT OUT | SUPERYACHT REFIT & REPAIR<br />

CUSTOM NEW BUILD | PROJECT MANAGEMENT | DESIGN & ENGINEERING<br />

F U L L S T E A M A H E A D F O R W I N D S O R B E L L E<br />

In the previous issue of <strong>Oyster</strong> News we<br />

reported on the refit being undertaken on<br />

the 70�, classic steam driven �ames River<br />

launch, Windsor Belle, which was built in<br />

1901. �e major refit of this superb launch was<br />

completed in August and involved substantial<br />

structural repairs. �e latter part of the work<br />

has included the total re-plumbing of both<br />

the domestic services and the newly laid out<br />

engine room. Our skilled engineers worked<br />

alongside a specialist steam engineer, installing<br />

engine, boiler, ancillary pumps, valves and<br />

controls. �e electrical system has also been<br />

substantially renewed.<br />

Sea trials took place on the Itchen River in order<br />

to re-certificate Windsor Belle for carrying<br />

passengers. She was then transported by road<br />

to Henley where the final touches were carried<br />

out ready for her first corporate entertainment<br />

cruise. �e newly finished varnish work, the<br />

reorganised bridge controls, her gleaming brass<br />

work and spotless engine room make her a<br />

breathtaking sight, exactly 110 years a�er her<br />

original launch.


L E O PA R D 3 C H A N G E S H E R S P O T S AT S Y S<br />

Leopard 3, the well-known maxi racer, has<br />

arrived at SYS for significant upgrades and<br />

interior modifications whilst she is refitted over<br />

the winter. �e work includes the design and<br />

installation of an entirely new, lightweight<br />

interior at the forward end, plus engineering<br />

and electrical updates, which include a new<br />

generator and new air-conditioning and<br />

plumbing systems. Despite these improvements<br />

in creature comforts, the overall brief is to<br />

maintain the lowest possible weight and, to<br />

achieve this, Nomex cored joinery and carbon<br />

fibre are very much in evidence throughout<br />

SOUTHAMPTON YACHT SERVICES<br />

the yacht. Leopard 3 will be re-<strong>launched</strong> for next<br />

season – still aggressively fast, but with an interior<br />

better suited and providing more comfort for the<br />

owner and guests to enjoy on board.<br />

“We have been long time friends of SYS dating<br />

back to 1992 when they refitted Ocean Leopard<br />

then later in 2000 when SYS did all the systems<br />

and engineering on Leopard of London so it<br />

was an easy decision to return for the refit and<br />

installation of our forward accommodation –<br />

their workmanship is exceptional.”<br />

Chris Sherlock, Skipper of Leopard 3<br />

‘SMALL WORKS’ CHANGES ITS NAME TO<br />

‘OYSTER SERVICE AND REFIT’ AND STEPS<br />

U P R E S O U RC E S T O M E E T D E M A N D<br />

For some time the Small Works team at<br />

Southampton Yacht Services has been enjoying<br />

increased demand for its services and has, at<br />

times, found itself constrained by capacity<br />

limitations. We have now added extra skilled<br />

and experienced resources to the team and<br />

the department has been renamed ‘<strong>Oyster</strong><br />

Service and Refit’ to better reflect its role in<br />

providing a dedicated service to <strong>Oyster</strong> owners.<br />

�e department continues to provide repairs,<br />

overhauls, refits and general maintenance<br />

services to maintain your <strong>Oyster</strong> in peak<br />

condition. Whatever your requirements, be it<br />

for a major refit or to seek resolution to a minor<br />

issue, please contact the <strong>Oyster</strong> Customer<br />

Service team in Ipswich, who are best placed<br />

to handle all enquiries in the first instance.<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Customer Service and Support can be<br />

reached at: +44 (0)1473 690198, or by email at:<br />

customerservice@oystermarine.com<br />

For further information please contact: Tel: +44 (0)23 8033 5266<br />

Email: enquiry@southamptonyachtservices.co.uk www.southamptonyachtservices.co.uk<br />

T H E N E W 8 8 5<br />

TA K E S S H A PE<br />

�e team at SYS is now working hard on the<br />

build of the first of the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 885s,<br />

which started in August. �e in-house team<br />

of designers and project managers, based<br />

in Ipswich and Southampton, together with<br />

the team of approximately 30 skilled cra�smen<br />

who work daily on the yacht, have already<br />

achieved significant progress against the<br />

planned schedule. As her form takes shape,<br />

everyone at the yard is enormously proud of<br />

what they are creating, and each week of<br />

progress confirms that she is another superb<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> yacht in the making. �e yard is also<br />

busy building 725/01 and a number of other<br />

stunning <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong>.<br />

S E A L ION N OM I N AT E D<br />

F O R C L A S S IC<br />

R E S T O R AT ION AWA R D<br />

The 67ft Abeking and Rasmussen yawl,<br />

Sea Lion, which le� SYS in July a�er a major<br />

rebuild, (see <strong>Oyster</strong> News Issue 72), has been<br />

nominated for the ‘Classic Boat Restoration<br />

of the Year 2011’ award.<br />

WINTER 2011 59


60<br />

� e overall <strong>Oyster</strong> fl eet we currently<br />

support is nearly 1000 vessels, built<br />

over the last 40 years and growing<br />

all the time!<br />

The earlier models included some developed<br />

purely for racing – the SJ35s and the Lightwave<br />

395s for example and we recently had a 30-year<br />

old <strong>Oyster</strong> 37 take part in the <strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta<br />

in Sardinia.<br />

The <strong>Oyster</strong> Lightwave 48, Scarlet <strong>Oyster</strong>,<br />

<strong>launched</strong> in 1987, and regularly seen on the<br />

UK race circuit and with � e Ellen McArthur<br />

Trust, is setting out across the Atlantic with<br />

the 2011 ARC fl eet.<br />

We <strong>launched</strong> nearly 350 yachts before the<br />

fi rst ‘Deck Saloon’ was introduced in the early<br />

1980s and we’ve built more than 30 powerboats<br />

– the Powerline 390 and the LD/OM43 series.<br />

We have around 600 Deck Saloon yachts on<br />

the water, including 75 <strong>Oyster</strong> 56s and 64<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 435s and of this total, Rob Humphreys<br />

has designed around 55% with Holman and Pye<br />

45%. Roughly one third of this fl eet is a current<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> model.<br />

In addition to this, we have completed custom<br />

and refi t projects through <strong>Oyster</strong>’s wholly<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

OYSTER<br />

CUSTOMER<br />

SERVICES<br />

A view from the bridge<br />

During the next few months we will be strengthening the support services<br />

we provide for <strong>Oyster</strong> Owners. � e three areas we are focusing on are<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage, <strong>Oyster</strong> Charter and Technical, Spares and Refi t and<br />

it’s interesting to look at who the clients for these services are.<br />

owned Southampton Yacht Services yard (SYS)<br />

on more than 100 vessels ranging from a River<br />

� ames Steam Launch to Rivas to Superyachts<br />

to the J-Class Velsheda and 43 metre Royal<br />

Denship motoryachts.<br />

As you might imagine, the needs of the owners<br />

of this huge and diverse fl eet vary enormously<br />

and our Customer Service team strives to help<br />

every customer at every level.<br />

OYSTER CUSTOMER SERVICE<br />

AND SUPPORT<br />

Typically the <strong>Oyster</strong> Customer Service team,<br />

led by Sarah Harmer, deals with over 850<br />

requests each year for spare parts and over<br />

700 requests each year for technical advice.<br />

Our 14-strong team is always happy to assist<br />

with any enquiry and work hard to provide the<br />

best a� ersales service in the marine industry.<br />

Our aim is to provide a one-stop, comprehensive<br />

service to every <strong>Oyster</strong> yacht, regardless of its<br />

age or location. For events such as the Atlantic<br />

Rally for Cruisers (ARC), <strong>Oyster</strong> sends a full<br />

service team to the Canary Islands to give every<br />

one of our yachts a complimentary health check<br />

before the fl eet sets sail for the Caribbean and<br />

it’s this level of a� ersales care that really puts<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong>’s Customer Service in a league of its own.


Our in-house <strong>Oyster</strong> Service and Refi t team,<br />

based at Southampton Yacht Services, has<br />

recently been strengthened to provide<br />

a dedicated service to <strong>Oyster</strong> owners. � ere<br />

are no better facilities than <strong>Oyster</strong>’s own build<br />

yards for repairs, overhauls, refi ts and general<br />

maintenance, all conveniently managed<br />

through our Customer Service department.<br />

Of course there are times when it is not possible<br />

or practical to return the yacht to the UK.<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> has recently opened a new o� ce within<br />

the STP Shipyard in Palma, Mallorca. � is will<br />

provide a convenient Mediterranean base where<br />

our own team, working with their colleagues<br />

in our UK head o� ce and a number of preferred<br />

and trusted local sub-contractors, will work with<br />

owners or their representatives to ensure any<br />

work is carried out to their complete satisfaction.<br />

CUSTOMER SERVICE<br />

OYSTER BROKERAGE<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage lists around 70-80 vessels<br />

at any one time and around 30 of these<br />

yachts change hands each year. � is exclusive<br />

service, which we have provided successfully for<br />

many years from our Ipswich HQ, is a valued<br />

part of the overall owner experience. <strong>Recently</strong>,<br />

as our yachts have become ever larger, we’ve<br />

been looking at how we can improve the<br />

service for the 150 or so <strong>Oyster</strong> yachts we’ve<br />

built over 60� LOA. � ese larger yachts,<br />

with their professional crew helping with<br />

maintenance and servicing, tend to be best<br />

kept in operation whilst they are listed for sale<br />

and to support this we have just opened<br />

an o� ce in Palma, Mallorca. � e aim is to<br />

create a stronger, large yacht brokerage<br />

service, operating through the UK team<br />

working together with our brokers in our<br />

satellite o� ces in Palma and Newport, RI, USA.<br />

Berthing, repairs and maintenance, together<br />

with guardinage services, are being developed<br />

to support any owner wishing to base their<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> in Palma for brokerage, for both long<br />

or short term needs. In conjunction with this,<br />

the Palma team will build up to enable them<br />

to support the fl eet of SYS clients operating<br />

in the Mediterranean.<br />

OYSTER CHARTER<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Charter operations have expanded year<br />

on year, partly through the fantastic eff orts of<br />

Molly Marston, but also through the fact that<br />

we’ve built more and more larger yachts whose<br />

owners wish to off set some of their costs by<br />

chartering. In the last 12 months, Molly has<br />

arranged nearly 100 weeks of charter across<br />

a fl eet of nearly 25 yachts and inevitably this<br />

will grow to 150+ weeks as the fl eet continues<br />

to grow. By the time <strong>Oyster</strong> News is mailed out,<br />

we will have completed interviewing and<br />

employed another Charter Broker to be based<br />

in our new Palma o� ce, extending the reach of<br />

what we are able to off er through <strong>Oyster</strong> Charter.<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> provides these services to ensure every<br />

owner feels secure that buying an <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

or commissioning a custom refi t at Southampton<br />

Yacht Services is more than just about buying the<br />

yacht, it’s an investment in a lifestyle of sailing<br />

which is supported by the <strong>Oyster</strong> Group<br />

throughout the life of the vessel, whoever may<br />

become the second, third and subsequent owners.<br />

customerservice@oystermarine.com<br />

charter@oystermarine.com<br />

brokerage@oystermarine.com<br />

WINTER 2011 61


62<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

FAMILY<br />

WOLFRAM BIRKEL


VALUES<br />

BUSINESS MAN, FAMILY MAN AND OWNER OF OYSTER 56, C A T B<br />

BY LOUAY HABIB<br />

WINTER 2011 63


64<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> <strong>Yachts</strong> are as individual as their owners,<br />

however if there is such a thing as a typical <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

owner, then <strong>Oyster</strong> 56 owner Wolfram Birkel is a fine<br />

example. Wolfram is an ardent family man and<br />

a captain of industry, he strives for perfection and<br />

innovation through the pursuit of knowledge and its<br />

application and a�er a lifetime of diligently honing his<br />

family company, he feels the time is right for his son,<br />

Christoph, to take over the business reins. �is will allow<br />

Wolfram to enjoy Cat B, not so much his <strong>Oyster</strong> 56,<br />

but an <strong>Oyster</strong> for all of the Birkel family to enjoy.<br />

Wolfram Birkel’s Great Grandfather, Klaus Balthasar Birkel started the<br />

family business in 1874, a small milling and flour food business near<br />

Stuttgart in Germany. From those humble beginnings, the company<br />

diversified into other food products, distributing throughout Europe<br />

and by 1981 the company’s revenue had grown to DM450 million.<br />

Since then the Birkel family have diversified into a variety of industries.<br />

“My family is very important to me, especially as we run a business<br />

together. So it is even more important that we are all pulling the rope<br />

at the same angle, so to speak. �e Birkel family has a long heritage<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

in the business world. A long time ago my father realised that it was<br />

time for me to take over his business and recently I have done the same<br />

with my son Christoph. Our family business was established a long<br />

time ago, but our values have always remained the same, we strive to<br />

achieve the best performance but we never forget the value of working<br />

together as a family – as a team, which also includes our employees.”<br />

Wolfram Birkel studied at Berlin’s University of Technology (Technische<br />

Universität Berlin) reading both engineering and economics. Large-scale<br />

production of pasta and other food products requires specialist<br />

machinery and the scale of production requires a sound knowledge<br />

of business economics but the principles learnt go much deeper than<br />

that, as Wolfram explains;<br />

“�e combination of studying economics and engineering is an excellent<br />

way to prepare for a leadership role in any company producing and<br />

selling technical products. A company is like a machine or a system<br />

and for it to work correctly, it must be well-run, well-maintained and<br />

above all capable of producing excellent results on a regular basis.<br />

20 years ago we sold the pasta business and diversified into other<br />

areas and nowadays our business is very much involved in technology<br />

with the development of the Hit-Technopark in Hamburg.”<br />

“In the early 1990s, the German government was providing excellent<br />

funding for new companies to stimulate new ideas and products.<br />

At about that time, a new technological university was created in


Hamburg, using some old buildings and I decided to build a new<br />

building in partnership with them. � ere were a few new business<br />

parks but they wanted to rent a minimum of 400-500 square metres,<br />

which was too large an overhead for young companies and nobody<br />

was providing smaller space of this kind in Hamburg.”<br />

“20 years ago I could not spend the amount of time that I do now<br />

with my boat, I wanted to create something, a new business, a new<br />

challenge. My idea was to create a new enterprise with emerging<br />

companies and provide them with a facility to grow, an environment<br />

that suited their new ideas. As the tenants developed, more space<br />

could be made available for them to grow into. � e cost to value<br />

ratio for these businesses is very important at their early stage of<br />

development. � e majority of the tenants are smaller and mid-size<br />

businesses. � ey keep a very watchful eye over their costs and must<br />

therefore thoroughly justify each investment. It is very satisfying for<br />

me to see these companies grow but at the same time it is a viable<br />

business, as the return on the investment is also growing.”<br />

As an “idea and think tank,” the Hit-Technopark in Hamburg off ers<br />

space and technology for some 100 companies from various<br />

industries, which together employ more than 500 people. � anks to<br />

its a� liation with the Technical University of Hamburg (TUHH), it is a<br />

campus for companies and scientists alike to develop and implement<br />

concepts and technologies in a networked manner.<br />

OWNER PROFILE – WOLFRAM BIRKEL<br />

“I also came to realise that if you experience the ever<br />

changing tide and wind in the Solent, you can apply<br />

this knowledge everywhere and maybe that is a good<br />

reason why there are so many good sailors from that<br />

part of the world, it is a tricky place to sail!”<br />

� is year, Wolfram Birkel was able to spend more time away from the<br />

business and sailed his <strong>Oyster</strong> 56, Cat B from Neustadt on the Baltic<br />

Sea Coast via Ipswich to the Mediterranean. Wolfram decided to<br />

make it a real exploration, stopping at many ports along the way.<br />

“It was possible to complete the trip in about 20 days but I was very<br />

keen to enjoy this trip by visiting many diff erent places along the way,<br />

to understand the way of life, to taste something of the regions we<br />

passed through. I had been to many of the countries before but to see<br />

and learn more about diff erent cultures is always exciting. For example,<br />

I have been to England many times but I didn’t know the Solent, I had<br />

never been to Cowes. Apart from visiting such historic seafaring places,<br />

I also came to realise that if you experience the ever changing tide<br />

and wind in the Solent, you can apply this knowledge everywhere and<br />

maybe that is a good reason why there are so many good sailors from<br />

that part of the world, it is a tricky place to sail!<br />

WINTER 2011 65


66<br />

“�e <strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta programme is an excellent<br />

concept, a great way to promote their products and<br />

bond their consumers to the brand. As a man from<br />

the world of consumer products, I really appreciate<br />

what <strong>Oyster</strong> is achieving.”<br />

OYSTER NEWS


�ere are many yacht manufacturers and we have owned<br />

several different types of yacht but every year when I went to the<br />

Hamburg Boat Show, I found that the quality of an <strong>Oyster</strong> was<br />

the best. We didn’t want a race boat we wanted a cruising boat,<br />

suitable for all of the family and <strong>Oyster</strong> produce the best yachts<br />

of this type. �ere are some yachts, which are a lot less expensive<br />

than an <strong>Oyster</strong> but there is nothing that matches the quality.<br />

We had also heard good things about the a�ersales service and<br />

as soon as we signed the contract, we found this was completely<br />

true. We were provided with comprehensive information and<br />

regular updates and I especially enjoyed visiting the yard and<br />

watching Cat B during the build. We were encouraged to take<br />

part in the design process and were able to talk directly with the<br />

people that were actually building the boat. �ese facts made us<br />

really appreciate the amount of work that goes into making an<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong>. When Birkel was advertising pasta he used a slogan in an<br />

advertising campaign. “I have a very simple taste, I always want<br />

the best.” If you are producing high quality products, you must<br />

always aim to be the best, it works for any product.<br />

�e <strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta programme is an excellent concept, a great<br />

way to promote their products and bond their consumers to the<br />

brand. As a man from the world of consumer products, I really<br />

appreciate what <strong>Oyster</strong> is achieving. �e <strong>Oyster</strong> Regatta in Palma<br />

was our first and we decided to take part because although we<br />

OWNER PROFILE – WOLFRAM BIRKEL<br />

do not know many <strong>Oyster</strong> owners, the few that we do know told<br />

us that they were great fun and the regatta was a big part of our<br />

plans for this year.<br />

It is wonderful to sail with my son; it is something that we have done<br />

for 20 years together. We are both members of the same fraternity,<br />

Corps Normannia Berlin, as was all of our crew in Palma. It is a great<br />

way to get together and we have such fun. Concentrating on sailing<br />

frees your mind and revitalizes your intellect; it is a perfect way<br />

to relax. I was very surprised by how competitive <strong>Oyster</strong>’s Palma<br />

Regatta was, but that did not prevent us from achieving our ultimate<br />

goal; Cat B was full of fun on the water and all of our friends and<br />

family enjoyed the occasion very much.”<br />

Birkel’s wholehearted commitment to his family is echoed in his<br />

business philosophy, which places great value in encouraging<br />

young entrepreneurs to thrive at the Hit-Technopark in Hamburg.<br />

“I want to encourage young people with good ideas, our country<br />

needs them. I am looking forward to Christoph taking over ‘the store’<br />

so to speak, it is something that I deeply desire. My relationship<br />

with Christoph is warm and trusting and I consider him my equal.<br />

In this way, we can work out a common way to achieve important<br />

goals. �e generation gap is not an issue, I realise that Christoph<br />

may make some mistakes but the best way to learn and develop<br />

is from experience.”<br />

WINTER 2011 67


68<br />

Matthew Vincent is the CEO and head<br />

designer for Dolphin sails. With 35 years<br />

in the industry Matthew has designed<br />

many thousands of sails including<br />

many hundreds for <strong>Oyster</strong> <strong>Yachts</strong>.<br />

Matthew heads up a team that<br />

produces bespoke sails and<br />

covers manufactured in the UK<br />

at their two specialist facilities<br />

in West Mersea and Harwich.<br />

There are a number of sails that can be<br />

set for downwind or trade wind sailing.<br />

� ese include the more obvious spinnakers,<br />

asymmetrics and cruising chutes together<br />

with creative ways of setting twin headsails.<br />

Factors that may infl uence the choice of<br />

downwind sails are:<br />

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Whichever system or systems are chosen all of the<br />

above factors should be taken into consideration.<br />

Safety for any yacht and crew is clearly<br />

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����������������������������������������������<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

and their setting techniques By Matthew Vincent, Dolphin Sails<br />

them should be carefully considered. It is all very<br />

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crew fi nd it di� cult to use then it may not be the<br />

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Speed<br />

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Snuff er stuck 3/4<br />

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� e modern air-infl ated snuff er mouth seems<br />

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Asymmetrics and cruising chutes<br />

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easy to use and reliable.<br />

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halyard swivel that is connected by a torsional<br />

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then the sail you already have is very likely to<br />

work with one of these furlers. A check with<br />

your sailmaker can confirm this.<br />

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a little more clearance of the sail from the mainsail.<br />

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sail behind the mainsail to reduce the wind in<br />

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down to the deck at a convenient time.<br />

�e beauty of these systems is that they are<br />

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learned but once used a few times these should<br />

become second nature.<br />

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should be taken into consideration.<br />

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encountered. Or the sail can be used in its normal<br />

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Twin headsails<br />

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a ���������������������������������������������<br />

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be taken with the loads that would be associated<br />

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ahead of the beam.<br />

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to raise a second headsail. �is can be done by<br />

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of their ultimate halyard tension the secondary<br />

mouse line is removed and the halyard made off<br />

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headsails will mainly be used downwind.<br />

One of the twin headsails can be boomed out<br />

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For further information and advice, please<br />

contact Matthew Vincent, Jon Sturmer<br />

or Drum Sydenham at Dolphin sails.<br />

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���������������<br />

Telephone: +44(0)1255 243366<br />

Email: sails@dolphin-sails.com<br />

Web: www.dolphin-sails.com<br />

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�����������������������������������������������<br />

section of the website www.oystermarine.com<br />

WINTER 2011 69


��<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

SULANA<br />

IN<br />

NOVA SCOTIA<br />

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���������������������������������������SULANA


OWNER REPORT – �������<br />

“S T L U C I A T O N E W F O U N D L A N D.<br />

S U M M E R 2 0 1 1.<br />

A N Y W H E R E Y O U C H O O S E !”<br />

� is was the challenge Alan and Sue Brook set us in 2009 following<br />

a wine-fuelled livery dinner in London’s Mansion House. So a bright summer<br />

morning in June saw us boarding a plane to Nova Scotia – a choice well<br />

off the beaten track for those cruising the east coast of North America.<br />

WINTER 2011 ��


��<br />

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Sulana�����������������������������������������������<br />

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OYSTER NEWS<br />

“Sulana���������������������������<br />

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daily event at around £2. We made our choice from the<br />

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bodies back to Sulana’s�������������������������������<br />

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�����������������������������<br />

Sunday a�ernoon saw Sulana������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

join Sulana��������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������


OWNER REPORT – �������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������Sulana�����������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������ ����������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������Sulana<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

with the crew fully alert and every electronic aid hard<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

anchor chain rattled as Sulana found her sanctuary.<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������� ���������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������� ��������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

bird �����������������������������������������������<br />

bald-headed��������������������������������������<br />

for ����������������������������������������������������<br />

too ���������������������������������������������������<br />

On day three we moved Sulana�������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

in favour of a landfall at the southern entrance to<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������<br />

At 08.00 we went to talk to the canal authority – this<br />

�������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

800 ���������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

Breton and the industrial towns on the north coast.<br />

We entered the canal at 10.00. A few minutes later the<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������������<br />

the south of the entire island for ten minutes.<br />

WINTER 2011 ��


��<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

���������������������������������������������<br />

with Sulana’s���������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

the ������������������������������������������������<br />

declined as well. A fearful Sulana��������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������


���������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������Sulana’s�����������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

infamous black bear but two snakes and innumerable<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

OWNER REPORT – �������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

to Sulana�����������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

best restaurant to thank them for the most unusual and<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������Sulana��<br />

���������������������������������������<br />

WINTER 2011 ��


��<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

������������������<br />

������������������������������������<br />

As we go to press, the countdown clock on<br />

the <strong>Oyster</strong> World Rally website shows there<br />

are just over 400 days to go to the start<br />

of this incredible event, which will see over<br />

30 <strong>Oyster</strong> yachts set sail from Nelson’s<br />

Dockyard in Antigua on 6 January 2013 on<br />

the journey of a lifetime.<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������<br />

held at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu<br />

at which 28 of the World Rally fl eet was<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������<br />

Saturday 24 March 2012<br />

���������������������<br />

����������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

�� �����������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������<br />

Miss Tippy������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������<br />

Sunday 25 March 2012<br />

���������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������<br />

Saturday 28 - Sunday 29 April 2012<br />

��������������������������������������<br />

������������������������ �����������<br />

��������������<br />

��������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������<br />

and hydraulics maintenance.<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������<br />

�� ����������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

off ers available to <strong>Oyster</strong> owners can be<br />

��������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������<br />

debbie.johnson@oystermarine.com<br />

For more information see our World Rally<br />

website at: www.oysterworldrally.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> World Rally Partners: Cathelco Seafresh, Dolphin Sails, Formula BV, Lewmar, Musto, Pantaenius, Pelagos <strong>Yachts</strong>, Raymarine, Reckmann, Yellowbrick.<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> World Rally Training Partners: Medical Support Offshore, Vortec Marine, Chris Tibbs


FOUR DOORS.<br />

FOUR SEATS.<br />

FOR TEST DRIVING NOW.<br />

THE NEW FOUR DOOR ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE<br />

For a priority test drive please visit<br />

www.astonmartin.com/oyster<br />

Official government fuel consumption figures in MPG (Litres per 100km) for the Aston Martin Rapide:<br />

Urban 12.5 (22.6), Extra Urban 27.1 (10.4), Combined 19.0 (14.9). CO 2 emissions: 355 g/km


��<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

GONE<br />

with the wind…<br />

�������������<br />

��������������������<br />

���������������������������A LADY


OWNER REPORT – �������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������s�������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������������<br />

WINTER 2011 ��


80<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

by which time it was too late to turn back.<br />

������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

Some whales came so close to the boat that we could<br />

������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

and yacht club.<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

no trouble to A Lady���������������������������������


�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

the railway is worth a visit on its own for the wonderful<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

by natives while her husband was away for a few days<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

they eventually died from thirst. �eir bodies were not<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������<br />

������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

We would o�en just lie down on the a� deck for hours<br />

OWNER REPORT – �������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������rarely<br />

see on land.<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

boat. Sometimes it was so shallow it would test our nerves<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

of A Lady���������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������Grand Filou.<br />

������<br />

Once the outlets on A Lady’s bottom were injected by<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

here and a few days later Neil Tritschler joined A Lady<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

board. We flew the kite most of the way and were the<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

����<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

later from other yachts that had been in Bali for a while<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

doubled the day before we arrived because they were<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������<br />

WINTER 2011 81


82<br />

�������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

early. �is turned out not to make any difference and the<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������<br />

MAURITIUS<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������.<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������<br />

��������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

of �����������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������A Lady��������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

towards Somalia.<br />

������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

kites of all sorts – the list was endless. �e best of all<br />

was a local monkey who came aboard A Lady early<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������


OWNER REPORT – �������<br />

�������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������<br />

��������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

with orchestral musicians.<br />

���������<br />

We travelled just 330 miles south west around the<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

of musicians and actors infused into the whole scene.<br />

������������������������������������������������������������<br />

���������������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������������<br />

in January 2011 and rejoin A Lady�������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������<br />

WINTER 2011 83


84<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

� � � �� � � � � � � � � � � ��<br />

�����������<br />

��������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������<br />

����������<br />

�����������������������������������������<br />

������������������<br />

�����������������������<br />

����������������������<br />

��������������������������������<br />

���������������������<br />

�������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������<br />

��������������������������������<br />

����������������������������������������<br />

������������������������������������������<br />

�����������������������������������������<br />

����������������<br />

�������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������������<br />

�� ������������������������������������������<br />

�������������������������<br />

�������������������������������������������<br />

������<br />

����������������������������������������������������������������������������


�������������<br />

��������������<br />

������������<br />

������������<br />

������������<br />

��������<br />

+44 (0) 20 7447 7412<br />

watches@bonhams.com<br />

Bonhams<br />

101 New Bond Street<br />

London W1S 1SR<br />

A very fine and rare 18ct<br />

yellow gold manual wind<br />

chronograph wristwatch<br />

Ref:1579 by Patek Philippe<br />

with rare facetted 'spider' lugs<br />

�����������������������������������������������������������<br />

WINTER 2011 85


86<br />

OYSTER NEWS


In dia<br />

E X P E R I E N C E S O F I N D I A’ S C O A S T L I N E<br />

FROM MUMBAI TO JAIGARH<br />

Jamie and I used to sit in our Limehouse local, overlooking Old Father �ames,<br />

wondering what it would be like to bring Esper into London. It had long been<br />

an ambition of ours to sail into a big city, maybe Hong Kong or New York,<br />

and now this dream was coming true in Mumbai.<br />

BY LIZ CLEERE AND JAMIE FURLONG, OYSTER 435 �����<br />

WINTER 2011 87


88<br />

Like any major port, the approach is intimidating.<br />

You must navigate queues of commercial vessels<br />

speeding through a patchwork of shipping lanes.<br />

Fishing boats lay their nets in increasingly crowded<br />

fashion as you near your destination, ensnaring<br />

unsuspecting yachts. As you pass, the stench of<br />

countless earlier hauls makes your eyes water.<br />

You continue to dodge nets right up until arrival,<br />

while returning boats buzz you, hurrying to<br />

o�oad their morning’s work.<br />

Mumbai shrieks in your ears<br />

and laughs in your face as it<br />

tweaks your nose, not so much<br />

tickling your senses as<br />

ravishing them. It is a city of<br />

extremes and superlatives, but<br />

for a yachtsman it can be less<br />

than hospitable. We were<br />

surprised to find that there<br />

is no marina, in fact not even<br />

a pontoon, in this great city.<br />

We anchored in a sea of<br />

mulligatawny soup, complete<br />

with lumps lurking beneath the<br />

fast-moving surface. Outside<br />

the Royal Bombay Yacht Club,<br />

slap bang in front of the tourist<br />

area of Mumbai, Esper jostled<br />

for space amongst small<br />

wooden racing dinghies and<br />

superyachts, while ferries<br />

converged on us from outlying<br />

areas. Ten days earlier we<br />

were sailing in the clear and<br />

silent waters of the Arabian<br />

Sea, watching the moonlight<br />

on the water and whistling at<br />

dolphins; I began to wonder<br />

why we were in such a rush<br />

to come here. Fierce currents<br />

race back and forth with the<br />

tides and when the wind gets<br />

up it can make for an anxious night’s sleep. Wealthy Indian yacht<br />

owners slumber peacefully at home in bed while their crews maintain<br />

a vigilant anchor watch, day and night. We dig Esper well in, set the<br />

anchor alarm and check our transit lines regularly.<br />

Checking in to Mumbai is not easy. Firstly, there is no point in trying<br />

to get anyone from the port authority to answer your VHF call, they<br />

simply ignore yachts. Secondly, dealing with o�cialdom on your own<br />

in Mumbai is a notoriously rocky road to tread. With the help of<br />

Marine Solutions (see useful information) and the Royal Bombay Yacht<br />

Club – of which we were given honorary membership during our stay –<br />

we had the luxury of local help. In spite of this Lo Brust, the rally<br />

organiser, still had to ‘negotiate’ to get our fees down to a size<br />

befitting our limited budgets.<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

�e job of arriving in India took two days, a long and painful process<br />

destined to be repeated wherever we went. We only have our<br />

imperialistic past to blame for the interminable waiting in halls and<br />

o�ces while one piece of paper is moved about from file to tray and<br />

back to file again, all the while being scrutinised and stamped by<br />

dull-eyed o�cials. It seems the Victorian reverence for procedures and<br />

bureaucracy has been enthusiastically embraced by our Indian cousins.<br />

We had plenty of time to scrutinise our transit lines and get used to<br />

swinging wildly on the hook as we waited to be allowed ashore.<br />

When finally the last ‘T’ had been crossed, our crowd of sea-weary<br />

travellers (most of us having not set foot on land for three weeks)<br />

were more than ready to go ashore. As there is nowhere to tie<br />

up on the wall in Mumbai you have to anchor your tender about<br />

30 metres away and rely on the altruism of a passing dinghy for<br />

a li�. Luckily for us, the rally<br />

sponsor, Marine Solutions,<br />

laid on a launch to shuttle<br />

us from boat to shore in the<br />

morning and evening. �e<br />

fast, smart launch – driven<br />

by an immaculately turned<br />

out Raj, in designer shades,<br />

coupled with our honorary<br />

membership of the Royal<br />

Bombay Yacht Club, made<br />

us feel like Bollywood stars.<br />

We piled into the launch and<br />

watched as 500 metres away<br />

Apollo Bunder, the sturdy<br />

19th Century pier, loomed<br />

under the giant Gateway<br />

of India, erected for a long<br />

dead British King. �e gothic<br />

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel,<br />

refurbished a�er the 2008<br />

bombings, dominates the<br />

skyline. �e city hums and<br />

rumbles in the distance.<br />

A quick dash across the toxic<br />

water and we stepped onto<br />

land, careful not to touch<br />

anything; the low tide had<br />

revealed a slime covered ledge<br />

and wet ‘Jackson Pollock’ walls.<br />

“Beautiful women, like exotic tropical<br />

birds, glide by in elegan t embroidered<br />

saris; swathed in endless combination s<br />

of colour and prin t”


As we climbed the steep,<br />

slippery steps to the city<br />

the decibels ramped<br />

up and the rumbling<br />

fractures into shouting<br />

voices, bellowing engines,<br />

screeching brakes and<br />

hooting taxis. �e<br />

cacophony of noise<br />

is overwhelming and<br />

with eyes smarting from<br />

the fumes we plunged<br />

into the throng.<br />

Beautiful women, like exotic tropical birds, glide by in elegant<br />

embroidered saris; swathed in endless combinations of colour<br />

and print, they seemed oblivious to the tumult. I was dazzled<br />

by them and envied their cool serenity in this pre-monsoon<br />

furnace. �roughout our ten months in India I was constantly<br />

enchanted by the way women dress themselves: from the<br />

lowliest worker in her simple cotton shalwar kameez to the<br />

jewel-encrusted red saris seen at Hindu weddings, they never<br />

fail to look dignified and feminine. India is textile heaven.<br />

We moved on, cracking jokes with the chatty men touting gaudy<br />

giant balloons and dog-eared postcards. At the Unesco-listed<br />

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus I had déjà vu, finding myself<br />

back in London, gazing at an exotic version of St Pancras.<br />

OWNER REPORT – ESPER<br />

Tramping the streets of Fort,<br />

with its university, museum<br />

and corporate buildings, we<br />

could be in Kensington Gore:<br />

any minute I expected to see<br />

the Albert Hall. In Colaba we<br />

stumbled across Leopold’s<br />

Bar, an institution among the<br />

local cognoscenti and savvy<br />

travellers. We glugged much<br />

needed beers, but there was<br />

no escaping the relentless<br />

heat and noise.<br />

By late a�ernoon we were deafened into submission and<br />

retreated to the oasis of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club to read<br />

newspapers in the air-conditioned Reading Room. Far from the<br />

madding crowd senses were soothed under slowly rotating<br />

fans, as we sipped fragrant a�ernoon tea from bone china<br />

cups. I wandered the corridors of this iconic Victorian building.<br />

Its silent retainers (all male) strained to avoid eye contact with<br />

me, which I learn later is the custom in India: to look directly<br />

into the eyes of a woman is to show your interest and deemed<br />

rude. Later, in the dark wood-panelled bar and dining room<br />

we sipped gin and tonic and, on smooth white linen tablecloths,<br />

were served the best chicken tikka masala in Mumbai. Life<br />

was good.<br />

WINTER 2011 89


90<br />

OYSTER NEWS


�at was the first of many trips into the city. We stayed in Mumbai for<br />

nearly two weeks, which for us was not long enough. Others on the<br />

rally were less enamoured of the place, blaming the poor holding as<br />

the reason for their decision to leave early. When a particularly bad<br />

blow came up one night some of the rally participants suffered yacht<br />

damage: boats dragged, tenders were lost and collisions occurred.<br />

It was an unhappy night, but one which Jamie and I peacefully slept<br />

through, relying on our anchor alarm and transit lines.<br />

Apart from all the usual cultural and historic sights, one area we<br />

had particularly hoped to see was the slums. At first we were a little<br />

reluctant to do so as we did not want to appear voyeuristic. Jamie<br />

in particular was determined that he would only take photographs<br />

of people with their permission. “For me photography is o�en about<br />

engaging with people. Despite<br />

being instructed to do so by<br />

our taxi driver I refused to stick<br />

my camera out the window<br />

of the car as we slowly drove<br />

down one really poor street.<br />

�at is voyeuristic. So on my<br />

second visit to the same street,<br />

this time on foot, I made the<br />

effort to talk to the people<br />

I was snapping and everyone<br />

I met appeared to be happy<br />

to let me photograph them.”<br />

Our advice to anyone visiting<br />

Mumbai is to go to the Dharavi<br />

slums with an open mind.<br />

In some respects ‘slums’ is<br />

a bit of a misnomer. It is true<br />

that the alleyways are little<br />

more than dirt tracks and<br />

there is squalor, but the<br />

people live in scrupulously<br />

clean homes, have access<br />

to electricity and clean water,<br />

and there is a strong sense<br />

of community.<br />

�e most touching moment<br />

for me was stumbling upon<br />

an open-air disco for the<br />

kids. Tucked into a tiny,<br />

dusty corner of a back<br />

yard, grooving to some<br />

rather excellent, banging Indian house music, were a group<br />

of bouncing kids who went absolutely mental when I joined them<br />

for a dance. One father was so pleased at the entertainment<br />

he tapped me on the shoulder and offered me a well-received<br />

can of ice-cold Sprite (I was gasping, trying to keep up with these<br />

kids in the searing heat!)<br />

Some of the Dharavi inhabitants have white-collar jobs, but return<br />

there at night to their humble dwellings. Ironically, the area is<br />

considered to be ‘prime real estate’ for its close proximity to the<br />

centre of the city, so one wonders how much longer it will be able<br />

to survive. We did find, however, that other slum areas around the<br />

city were much more disadvantaged, with folk living on the street<br />

or in tiny ‘Wendy’ houses propped up against a fence.<br />

OWNER REPORT – ESPER<br />

“Mumbai shrieks in your ears and<br />

laughs in your face as it tweaks your<br />

nose, not so much ticklin g your sen ses<br />

as ra vishin g them”<br />

In another central area of<br />

Mumbai, neither of us will<br />

forget the ‘Dhobi Ghats’,<br />

life in India in microcosm.<br />

Settled by the dhobi caste,<br />

whose centuries-old<br />

occupation is washing, the<br />

area is a complete laundry<br />

service as well as a thriving<br />

community, with schools,<br />

homes and temples dotted<br />

throughout. �e washing<br />

is collected from the door<br />

of a Mumbai household or<br />

hotel and brought to the<br />

Ghat, where it is washed,<br />

dried, ironed – sometimes<br />

starched – and returned<br />

a couple of days later.<br />

In Mumbai nobody bothers<br />

with dry cleaners or<br />

expensive mechanical<br />

launderettes and many<br />

households do not have<br />

washing machines, they<br />

simply have all their laundry<br />

done at Dhobi Ghats,<br />

keeping hundreds and<br />

thousands of people<br />

employed and living together<br />

in their own community.<br />

Eventually we reluctantly li�ed the hook. It took an hour. We pulled<br />

up our chain, other lines, floats, rubbish, cans, tangled nets, more lines,<br />

thicker lines and more bits of net. �ere was clearly no way we would ever<br />

have dragged our anchor. �e razor-sharp fishing knife had never worked<br />

so hard. Eventually we le�, heading to Jaigarh Bay, a fishing village on the<br />

mouth of the Shastri River, 110 miles south of Mumbai. April and May are<br />

the hottest months of the year as the country gears itself up for the<br />

coming cooler monsoon; this meant hot air, light wind, mostly calm seas<br />

and the occasional storms. We motor-sailed much of the way, once again<br />

dodging the nets.<br />

Jaigarh is an unspoilt and untouched fishing village. As we entered the<br />

estuary the sea boiled with prawns and a few dolphins swam past.<br />

�e entrance into the natural harbour was interesting as we watched the<br />

WINTER 2011 91


92<br />

depth gauge hover around<br />

1.5m under the keel. �e<br />

village, hidden behind an<br />

old fort wall and a hill with<br />

a solitary temple, sits at the<br />

foot of a lush rain forest. �e<br />

parks of Mumbai aside, this<br />

was the first time we had seen<br />

vegetation on such a large<br />

scale since Asmara in Eritrea,<br />

some 2,000 miles away.<br />

Jaigarh was spectacular in<br />

appearance and location. �e<br />

whole of this coast is rich in iron ore and the roads and buildings,<br />

many made of mud bricks, illustrate this. Everything is pinky red. Jamie<br />

tried to keep his images as natural as possible but even so the rich<br />

colours shine through. As he says, “Imagine saris flashing pastel pink<br />

and peach against rusty coloured buildings, all set against vivid green<br />

foliage, and you’ll begin to get an idea of the colours of Jaigarh.”<br />

We sauntered through the dusty and baking hot day to visit the<br />

temples, fishing boats and people. As Jamie’s camera pointed at the<br />

small line of women selling fish in baskets we were joined by children<br />

and adults curious to understand what we were photographing. One<br />

woman with a large single fish balanced in a basket on her head looked<br />

very proud and stopped for Jamie. �e people were shyer here, looking<br />

at us with curiosity and an intensity we had not seen in Mumbai.<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

�e village lies on a bay, with<br />

a narrow dirt track leading<br />

out and is not mentioned in<br />

any of the tourist guides we<br />

use. It is unlikely they have<br />

seen many western faces<br />

before in Jaigarh, apart from<br />

those occasional yachts,<br />

which may pass with the<br />

Vasco da Gama Rally once<br />

a year.<br />

As we wandered through<br />

one of the two parallel<br />

tracks, we stopped to talk to people along the way. We did not<br />

speak their language and none of them spoke English, but it is<br />

surprising how well you can get by with facial expressions, body<br />

language and hand gestures. �e village had a mixture of Muslim<br />

and Hindu worshippers, with both a mosque and two temples.<br />

A cheerful man invited us to have a coke in front of his house.<br />

It was a bare patch of ground with a wonky chair and an upturned<br />

pot for a table. �e family watched as we drank, and the three girls<br />

(his daughters) giggled among themselves, allowing Jamie to take<br />

their photographs. �ey each wore a colourful shalwar kameez<br />

without covering their heads. Behind them, through the front door,<br />

I glimpsed a shining tiled floor and a cool dark interior. �ey refused<br />

any payment for the coke, seemingly pleased that we had graced<br />

them with our presence.


Useful information<br />

Weather Prediction<br />

�e system employed by our leader, Lo Brust, was faultless for<br />

the entire length of the rally, o�en to within the hour. He sent out<br />

bulletins twice a day a�er which an agreement was made between<br />

the skippers about the wisdom of continuing or sheltering. �e<br />

accuracy of his weather predictions against other systems used<br />

by the rest of us was consistently proven. Lo uses Wetterwelt,<br />

the English version of which can be found here:<br />

wetterwelt.biz/html/wetterso�ware<br />

Marine Solutions<br />

Without the help of this family-run company we would have had<br />

a much harder time of it when we arrived in India; we urge you to get<br />

in touch with them if you are planning to sail to this part of the world.<br />

�ey took away the pain of checking-in and were able to help us with<br />

all manner of questions from where to buy our beer to boat repairs.<br />

All of this offered with ineffable charm and hospitality.<br />

Coastal cruising is in its infancy in India, which is why it is such an<br />

exciting place to be right now. Marine Solutions is a prominent<br />

boating company run by the Dutta family, all of whom are enthusiastic<br />

yachtsmen. It was the first company in India to sell the leisure boating<br />

idea to millions of Indians and has since grown, now selling luxury<br />

yachts, providing yacht services and developing yachting infrastructure.<br />

Contact: info@marinesolutions.in<br />

Website: www.marinesolutions.in<br />

�e bulk of the villagers<br />

are fishermen. We watched<br />

as they prepared their boats<br />

and nets for the monsoon,<br />

while the women busily dried<br />

enough fish to get them<br />

through the rainy period – the<br />

sea is too dangerous to fish<br />

in the summer months. �ere<br />

was a great kerfu�e at one<br />

point when a group of young<br />

men who had been following<br />

us brought a middle-aged man<br />

to speak to us. He was probably<br />

aged no more than 50, but he looked much older. He spoke a little<br />

broken English and was beside himself with excitement to learn that<br />

we were British. He’d served in the Indian Merchant Navy for many<br />

years and knew England well. He seemed to be highly regarded by<br />

the young men, all of whom were very respectful towards him.<br />

Meeting the people of Jaigarh was a joy that is di�cult to explain<br />

without sounding hackneyed or patronising. It made us curious to find<br />

other similarly ‘unknown’ villages, but as we had to be in Cochin<br />

before the monsoon started and the harbour was shut we did not<br />

have time to explore. We made a pact that we would go back before<br />

we le� this great country.<br />

Read more about Liz and Jamie’s journey and listen to their podcasts<br />

on the website, www.followtheboat.com<br />

Photos: Jamie Furlong<br />

OWNER REPORT – ESPER<br />

Col Regs? What’s that? Tactics for sailing through fishing boats!<br />

We were given the following advice from our Mumbaikar friend, Sandeep<br />

Mhatre, an experienced sailor in the coastal waters of India.<br />

“Indian fishing nets are generally marked by flags at the two ends, and will<br />

be lit up at night by ‘petromax’ or flashing lights. �ere are no standards of light<br />

and they can be any colour. Try to sail round them as much as possible, but<br />

if unavoidable a yacht with less than a three-metre draught can sail through<br />

the middle. Generally the small fishing boats and nets are encountered in less<br />

than 10 metres of water and the bigger ones beyond the 20-metre contour<br />

line. Try to stay about 50-100 yards at least off the stern of trawlers.”<br />

We tried to stay between the 10 and 20 metre contour lines – it worked<br />

for some of the time. Mostly, though, you just have to keep an extra<br />

special intense watch at all times. �e trouble is the markers are easy<br />

to spot at night but you don’t know what they mean and in the day you<br />

just can’t see them until it is too late. �e best bit of advice we heard was<br />

if you get tangled up just wait there. �e fishermen don’t want to lose<br />

their nets and will soon set you free themselves.<br />

Esper’s Log<br />

Date From To Distance<br />

26/04/10 Mumbai Jaigarh (17 17.39N 073 13.53E) 110<br />

Leg total 110<br />

O�cial bodies<br />

O�cial bodies will advise<br />

yachts not to transit the<br />

Gulf of Aden or sail in the<br />

Arabian Sea. For those intent<br />

on making the crossing more<br />

information can be found<br />

from the following sources:<br />

MSCHOA Maritime Security<br />

Centre – Horn of Africa.<br />

Set up by the European<br />

task force to tackle piracy<br />

in this area. Now has<br />

a section for private yachts.<br />

www.mschoa.org<br />

ICC–CCS International Chamber of Commerce: Commercial<br />

Crimes Service. �eir IMB Reporting centre has information<br />

on piracy and a map of piracy activity. www.icc-ccs.org<br />

FTB. An hourly update of data collected from more than twenty<br />

worldwide reputable sources, including those listed here.<br />

www.followtheboat.com/piracy<br />

Vasco da Gama Rally<br />

You can find out more about the Vasco da Gama Rally<br />

on their website, www.vascodagamarally.nl<br />

WINTER 2011 93


94<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

OYSTER YACHT<br />

CHARTER


A holiday on an <strong>Oyster</strong> Charter yacht is an<br />

opportunity to sample life on board some of the<br />

most luxurious yachts afl oat and your passport to<br />

the ultimate cruising experience. We have a range<br />

of yachts from 56 to 82 feet, which are all<br />

individually owned and impeccably maintained.<br />

Operated by professional crews, an <strong>Oyster</strong> Charter<br />

guarantees you a relaxing holiday, tailored to a<br />

pace to suit you and your family and friends.<br />

OYSTER CHARTER<br />

RAVENOUS II OYSTER 82<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – US East Coast<br />

PANDEMONIUM OYSTER 82<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Eastern Med<br />

Summer – Greece & Turkey<br />

ZIG ZAG OYSTER 82<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – Mediterranean<br />

WINTER 2011 95


96<br />

Sistership Sistership<br />

OOFLEDUST CUSTOM 82<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – not available<br />

MAGRATHEA OYSTER 72<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – Greece & Turkey<br />

KEALOHA 8 OYSTER 72<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – Western Mediterranean<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

STRAVAIG OYSTER 72<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – not available<br />

Summer – Western Mediterranean<br />

KOLUKA OYSTER 72<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – Croatia<br />

ILITHYIA OYSTER 68<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – Western Mediterranean


FUERTE OYSTER 66<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – TBD<br />

BLUE HORIZON OYSTER 655<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – Western Mediterranean<br />

ON LIBERTY OYSTER 575<br />

4 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – Mediterranean<br />

OYSTER CHARTER<br />

NEKI OYSTER 655<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – US East Coast<br />

BLUE JEANNIE OYSTER 625<br />

6 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – Mediterranean<br />

BOARDING PASS III OYSTER 575<br />

4 Guests<br />

Winter – Caribbean<br />

Summer – Mediterranean<br />

For further information on the <strong>Oyster</strong> Charter fl eet please contact Molly Marston on:<br />

+1 401 846 7400 email molly.marston@oystermarine.com or visit www.oystercharter.com<br />

WINTER 2011 97


98<br />

THE<br />

26 th<br />

ARC<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

T H E 2 6 T H A T L A N T I C<br />

R A L L Y F O R C R U I S E R S<br />

S T R O N G O Y S T E R S U P P O R T<br />

I N L A S P A L M A S


�e excitement was palpable in Las Palmas, as all<br />

along the dock final preparations for the annual<br />

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers carried on apace.<br />

217 yachts, supplemented by the ever-present<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> fleet, ensured the usual festival feel of<br />

the ARC was already in full swing by the time<br />

I arrived four days before the start.<br />

Whilst <strong>Oyster</strong> owners and crews partied and<br />

prepared, the <strong>Oyster</strong> Service and Support team<br />

worked feverishly to ensure their yachts got<br />

to the start line in the best possible condition.<br />

�is kind of service is something <strong>Oyster</strong> owners<br />

have grown accustomed to – and how they<br />

appreciate it!<br />

�e 2011 ARC fleet includes eight <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong>, one of<br />

which is Roger Soukup’s brand new <strong>Oyster</strong> 625,<br />

Bandido, however, <strong>Oyster</strong>’s top-notch service<br />

is by no means restricted to the brand new<br />

models such as the <strong>Oyster</strong> 625. Tom Carbaugh<br />

has completed an eight and a half year<br />

circumnavigation of the globe on board<br />

Glass Slipper, his <strong>Oyster</strong> 53. “�ey have helped<br />

us all around the world. Answering questions,<br />

sending parts, suggestions on agents in different<br />

places when we needed specific specialists.<br />

Very, very valuable to anybody doing a<br />

circumnavigation”, Tom told me. “When <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

came on board three days ago to do their check<br />

OYSTER ENTRANTS<br />

THE 26TH ARC<br />

out, I had never seen anything like it. Nobody<br />

here had even heard of another yacht builder<br />

being that thorough, spending the time they did<br />

with absolutely no charge. It’s just a tremendous<br />

a�ersale service.” Tom explained.<br />

Glass Slipper is the 40th <strong>Oyster</strong> to complete a<br />

circumnavigation, but was not the only yacht in<br />

the <strong>Oyster</strong> ARC 2011 contingent to have managed<br />

the feat. David Holliday, who completed his own<br />

round the world circuit on board his beautiful<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 72 Kealoha 8, is participating in the ARC<br />

for a third time. Having sailed for many years, he<br />

couldn’t think of a better boat to do it in. “�ese<br />

boats are built to go across oceans – they are so<br />

well equipped.”<br />

Similar to Tom, David felt a huge part of the<br />

peace of mind you get when going to sea<br />

on an <strong>Oyster</strong> stems from the support owners<br />

receive. “�e <strong>Oyster</strong> people came round the<br />

world (on the circumnavigation), and were just<br />

excellent. �ey do a first class job, the support<br />

we get is out of this world.”<br />

Start day for the 26th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers,<br />

provided a brisk northerly wind and blue skies<br />

– perfect conditions for a downwind start and<br />

a swi� departure for the 217 yachts and 1,188<br />

people taking part for their passage across<br />

the Atlantic.<br />

Scarlet <strong>Oyster</strong> Ross Applebey <strong>Oyster</strong> LW48 GBR<br />

Norman g III Marshall Glynn <strong>Oyster</strong> 49 GBR<br />

Glass Slipper �omas Carbaugh <strong>Oyster</strong> 53 USA<br />

Sophistikate Richard & Angela Parkinson <strong>Oyster</strong> 575 GBR<br />

Dreamer Chris & Paula Glossop <strong>Oyster</strong> 575 GBR<br />

Sydney Rock Robert & Diana Jansen <strong>Oyster</strong> 61 AUS<br />

Bandido Roger Soukup <strong>Oyster</strong> 625 USA<br />

Kealoha 8 David & Diana Holliday <strong>Oyster</strong> 72 GBR<br />

“Having a team on hand in Las Palmas<br />

is clearly something <strong>Oyster</strong> owners<br />

value enormously. I spoke to many<br />

skippers and crew during my stay<br />

there, and no manufacturer had<br />

nearly as much presence at the<br />

ARC. It’s easy to see why people<br />

want to make the 2,700-mile trip<br />

to St. Lucia with <strong>Oyster</strong>.”<br />

While the ARC is a cruising rally, there is a start<br />

and finish line, and the boats are split into<br />

divisions according to size, type and competition.<br />

Whilst most of the <strong>Oyster</strong> fleet opted for the<br />

Cruising Division, in the IRC racing division, run<br />

under the auspices of the Royal Ocean Racing<br />

Club (RORC), the 22-boat fleet was lead across<br />

the line by a tight group of five yachts, all flying<br />

spinnakers. �is included the veteran <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

Lightwave 48, Scarlet <strong>Oyster</strong> owned by Ross<br />

Applebey, making her first Atlantic crossing.<br />

For more information about World Cruising<br />

Club and the ARC please visit:<br />

www.worldcruisingclub.com<br />

Photos: Ian Roman<br />

BY JONATHON MEDWAY<br />

WINTER 2011 99


100<br />

OYSTER NEWS


OWNER REPORT – SEA ROVER<br />

O U R<br />

CRUISING<br />

LIFE<br />

BY MIKE AND DEVALA ROBINSON, OYSTER 46, SEA ROVER<br />

Cruising life is a life where you’re never quite sure what’s around the next corner<br />

(or headland). No matter how well prepared, there is always the unpredictable, such as the<br />

low that suddenly veers towards you, when you had thought it would safely pass miles away.<br />

At times like that we are so appreciative of our <strong>Oyster</strong> 46 Sea Rover that seems to happily<br />

take anything the wind and waves throw at her with equal grace, carrying us safely through it all.<br />

� e unpredictable also has its pleasant side, new people you meet and the new friendships<br />

that form as you gradually get to know fellow cruisers you meet in anchorage a� er anchorage.<br />

WINTER 2011 101


102<br />

In one bay off New Zealand’s Barrier<br />

Island, we hosted a larger than usual<br />

gathering for 17 people onboard<br />

Sea Rover then we all moved on<br />

to an <strong>Oyster</strong> 56 for a sit down meal.<br />

A great way to start our sailing season!<br />

�is pleasant evening was followed by a couple<br />

of weeks cruising around that well-kept Kiwi<br />

secret, the Hauraki Gulf, in our opinion much<br />

better than the Bay of Islands. �en on to Opua,<br />

near the top of North Island, where we joined<br />

up with the many other cruisers planning to head<br />

north to avoid the Southern Hemisphere winter.<br />

A time for renewing friendships with cruisers<br />

we met last year as we sailed through the Pacific,<br />

and for preparing for another season in what we<br />

have learnt to call ‘the islands’.<br />

Like everyone else in Opua, we sat and waited for<br />

the weather, mindful of the potential dangers of<br />

merely hoping that a threatened low might not<br />

hit. It always does! When the weather ‘window’<br />

finally came we set off for Fiji, approximately<br />

1,100 miles north. The passage was largely<br />

uneventful, we say largely, there was one<br />

incident. We were happily batting along beam<br />

reaching in force 5-6, Sea Rover as ever rock<br />

solid and a pleasure to sail. �en at 17.25 (I know<br />

that because I had just switched on the SSB to<br />

speak to another boat) and in the fading light<br />

BANG! �e genoa, up until now well reefed,<br />

suddenly deployed to its full 140% glory, not<br />

what you want in a force 6. The line on the<br />

furling mechanism had just snapped, particularly<br />

galling as we had fitted a new line before leaving<br />

New Zealand. Mike was having a nap and I woke<br />

him gently with the words “Houston we have<br />

a problem”. �ere then followed two hours as<br />

darkness fell and Mike rigged the old furling<br />

line. Behind those simple lines was the reality<br />

of Mike kneeling in the bow of the boat with<br />

waves crashing over him as I tried to hold the<br />

helm head to wind to allow him to turn the<br />

furling mechanism. A�er some time we got it<br />

moving, but in the dark Mike wasn’t confident<br />

he had done this successfully and we decided<br />

not to risk it like this overnight. So that le� only<br />

one thing to do, drop the genoa – ha ha!<br />

We vaguely remember such manoeuvres from<br />

sail training before the days of self-furling<br />

mechanisms but our genoa is a brute and there<br />

was a real danger of it landing in the drink, at<br />

which point hauling it back aboard, full of water<br />

and in the dark, would have been no joke. Still<br />

we got it down and lashed to the deck with sail<br />

ties. What we should have done next was pause,<br />

catch our breath and check the storm jib was<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

properly rigged before hoisting it (it was on the<br />

foredeck as we had used it in earnest through<br />

the worst of a low a couple of days before). But<br />

we didn’t wait. We quickly hoisted up the jib, only<br />

to find the sheets thrashing and flogging around<br />

the mast, they caught in my lifeline and I was<br />

stranded at the mast being beaten up by the<br />

lines. Mike had to rescue me, getting thwacked<br />

several times very viciously in the process, we<br />

had to drop the jib and then undo the ‘knitting’<br />

that the sheets had become and re-hoist it.<br />

We heard of far worse experiences on the sail<br />

north to the islands and even before we arrived<br />

safely in Suva, <strong>Oyster</strong> Customer Services were<br />

preparing to send spare parts for our damaged<br />

furling mechanism. �ey have never failed to get<br />

parts to us, making us wonder why we are<br />

carrying just so many spares in this harsh salt<br />

environment. �e formalities of clearing in were<br />

simpler than we had been led to expect, even<br />

if we had to get used to the fact that the guy<br />

from health and safety was wearing a pinstriped<br />

skirt (or sula). We soon became surprisingly used<br />

to seeing policemen, the armed forces and many<br />

of the men and boys we met wearing sulas.<br />

Armed with paper charts lent by fellow cruisers,<br />

we set about navigating our way through coral<br />

reefs as we cruised around the main islands of Fiji<br />

(Viti Levu and Vanua Levu) and the smaller islands<br />

in the north east corner of Fiji. Until now we had<br />

been impressed by the accuracy of our Navionics<br />

charts, even in many remote parts of French<br />

Polynesia. Not so in Fiji where local sailors talk<br />

of SNAGS – Satellite Navigation Assisted<br />

Groundings! Whilst the charting of the land was


good, its position was o�en ‘out’ and it was not<br />

unusual to find ourselves sailing over areas which<br />

our electronic charts clearly showed as terra firma!<br />

We found it safer to use the electronic charts more<br />

like paper charts and once again we used the radar<br />

overlay function to assess the disparity between<br />

our charted position and reality! Such navigation<br />

near land mixes old and new, conning from the<br />

bow, verified waypoints from trusted other cruisers<br />

and good old-fashioned pilotage. Nice to know we<br />

hadn’t forgotten all our old skills and even in the<br />

21st Century’s world of electronics they were still<br />

coming in useful. Fiji is definitely not a place to sail<br />

around in poor visibility and we frequently found<br />

ourselves having to slow down Sea Rover, to time<br />

arrivals so the sun was high enough to safely<br />

navigate the coral strewn channels.<br />

It would be all too easy to spend your time just<br />

with other cruisers, and great fun though that is,<br />

we still hope to improve our sketchy knowledge<br />

of the diverse peoples and cultures of the vast<br />

South Pacific. Admittedly this is a challenge when<br />

English is at best a second or third language<br />

for most of the people we meet and our ‘other<br />

languages’ are pretty lamentable. Sea Rover is<br />

beginning to have an eclectic collection of books<br />

on missionaries, cannibals and cultures and we’ve<br />

OWNER REPORT – SEA ROVER<br />

both become inveterate museum goers in an<br />

attempt to understand more about where we<br />

are and the impacts of the early European visitors.<br />

�e ‘rewards’ for the effort of making time to go<br />

ashore and meet local people have been some<br />

priceless moments and lasting memories. Two<br />

people who come to mind from our cruise in<br />

Fiji’s waters are Joseph and Malau.<br />

Joseph aged early to mid-twenties lives with his<br />

brother and younger cousin on a remote atoll,<br />

Naqelelevu, in the far north-eastern corner of Fiji’s<br />

territorial waters. We enjoyed a beach barbeque<br />

with them one evening during our stay, anchored<br />

off their settlement, or at least what is le� of it<br />

a�er last year’s cyclone.<br />

These young men make a living collecting and<br />

preserving sea cucumbers, which are highly prized<br />

by the Chinese and Japanese markets. When they<br />

have a decent load and can get a li� from passing<br />

fishermen they head off to the island of Taveuni<br />

to sell their catch – for good prices, anything from<br />

15 to 60 Fijian dollars per kilo (not bad when many<br />

employed local people earn between 10 – 25 Fijian<br />

dollars a day). We thought that they would then<br />

immediately go out ‘on the town’; a bit of bingeing<br />

on drink and grog etc much like many youngsters<br />

of their age. Not at all, as Joseph says “We take our<br />

money to the bank, we have a card to buy the<br />

provisions we need, yes we have some fun and<br />

drinks but we are saving our money so we don’t<br />

have to work when we are old”.<br />

Pension planning in the Pacific! We wondered<br />

how many 20-somethings we know in the UK<br />

are doing the same?<br />

�en at the other end of the age spectrum there<br />

is Malau, 63 and living in a simple hut of coconut<br />

branches and leaves on a remote island with very<br />

few possessions (and even fewer teeth). To reach<br />

him we conned our way through the two passes<br />

in the skirting coral reefs that bound Albert Cove<br />

on the north west of Rabi Island. When we took<br />

the dinghy ashore, empty handed, he generously<br />

gave us coconuts and lemons and was clearly<br />

pleased to see us and chat in broken English.<br />

It was easy to think of Malau as a simple man<br />

with no choices, living in poverty. �at stereotype<br />

was confounded when we learnt that he had<br />

lived and worked in the airport several hundred<br />

miles away, in his own country Tuvalu, he could<br />

get by in four languages and had chosen, in<br />

his old age, to live simply on the beach, with<br />

a few pigs, his garden providing fruit and<br />

vegetables and the sea providing fish. He was,<br />

he said repeatedly, “free”. He, like us, had made<br />

WINTER 2011 103


104<br />

a lifestyle choice and change. Whilst he was<br />

very grateful for the few things we le� him,<br />

we realised that he had chosen the ‘Good Life’<br />

and was clearly very happy with his choice.<br />

And this cruising life is just that – a life change<br />

(and choice), not a holiday. We worry that sounds<br />

a bit precious but for so many of our family and<br />

friends what we are doing seems like one long<br />

jolly jaunt, sailing off into the sunset. We o�en<br />

reflect that everything that made us fall in love<br />

with Sea Rover, needs polishing, maintaining and<br />

servicing and yet we too plead guilty to showing<br />

only the glamour. Like any change of lifestyle<br />

there is all the behind the scenes hard work.<br />

Friends of ours who set off on a circumnavigation<br />

in the ‘90s would o�en say that at least we<br />

understood what they were doing. We thought<br />

we did, but now older and wiser we realise we<br />

didn’t appreciate just how time-consuming it<br />

could be. Perhaps we missed those bits in the<br />

articles we read before we set off!<br />

�e generosity and willingness to help out in the<br />

sailing community is another constant surprise.<br />

It extends from the high-quality information<br />

passed on willingly, exchanging waypoints for<br />

di�cult channels or favourite anchorages over<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

a drink, to helping out when in dire need, like<br />

cruisers we barely knew filling our water tanks<br />

when our generator wasn’t working last year and<br />

we couldn’t make water. It is a world so unlike the<br />

one we were used to ashore in our busy lives in<br />

London, where the road from acquaintance to<br />

friend was much slower. �e cruising community<br />

is in some ways akin to a village or neighbourhood<br />

and, like good neighbours you are willing to help<br />

each other out. But at sea, where so many of us<br />

are so far from home, it seems the willingness<br />

and friendship comes more quickly.<br />

Of course it wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t have<br />

a wedding to go to. �is year, as last, it was the<br />

wedding of two other cruisers, Isabelle and Brian<br />

on their <strong>Oyster</strong> 56 Wasabi with whom we had<br />

become friends since sharing haul-out facilities in<br />

New Zealand. So from shared travel li� to shared<br />

moments in life, we made our way to Musket<br />

Cove resort in the Mamanuccas Islands, south<br />

west Fiji.<br />

Even though it is primarily a hotel they make<br />

‘yachties’ very welcome, so much so they have<br />

a yacht club (of which we are now members) and<br />

allow full access to all the resort’s facilities. On one<br />

level Musket Cove could be any tropical resort,<br />

but the difference is the staff. Within 24 hours<br />

they knew our names, which drinks to serve us<br />

(we weren’t spending that much time at the bar<br />

– honest) and the boat name for the bar tab.<br />

It was explained to us that because Fijians have<br />

such large extended families they are used to<br />

memorising people, faces, names and connections<br />

even a�er only a short time together; the result<br />

is that you are made to feel special.<br />

A�er two months of great cruising we set off<br />

westwards, back into the south-east trades<br />

heading for Vanuatu, some 500 hundred miles<br />

away. Amazing how quickly you forget the ‘rock<br />

and roll’ of downwind sailing and the need to stuff


kitchen towels, socks, anything into cupboards to<br />

stop that annoying ‘chink’ or ‘clunk’ that keeps you<br />

awake far more than the weather. Winds were<br />

a stiff force 6 and the seas were boisterous a�er<br />

several days of rougher conditions. Sea Rover<br />

took it in her stride, as always. We forget the<br />

number of times we’ve been so grateful for such<br />

a well-built boat, combined with her weight and<br />

a beam of over four metres, she is rock solid in<br />

all sorts of weather. She more than repays the<br />

days spent on maintenance and servicing on the<br />

principle of ‘look a�er the boat and she will look<br />

a�er you’.<br />

�e next bit will be di�cult, Vanuatu warrants<br />

a whole article all on its own and it was truly<br />

fascinating. We are learning to plan our sailing<br />

not only around seasons and prevailing winds<br />

but also around what is happening in the places<br />

we are visiting and in Vanuatu we ended up<br />

becoming festival groupies as we sailed between<br />

Malekula, Ambrym and Vanua Lava enjoying the<br />

tremendous spectacle of the different photogenic<br />

kastom festivals, each island with its own traditions,<br />

costumes and dances.<br />

�ere were other places we might have ‘ticked off’<br />

if we had rushed more, but we continually find the<br />

adage of ‘less is more’ holds true. �e festival in<br />

Labo in South West Bay, Malekula was very special<br />

as they were installing (if that is the correct term)<br />

two new chiefs, one the first Kastom chief ever<br />

in that village and the second man was replacing<br />

an aged chief who had become too frail to<br />

fulfil his duties. We felt privileged to be there.<br />

OWNER REPORT – SEA ROVER<br />

�e following day two local people, Willy and<br />

Simeon, took us on a walk to see their gardens.<br />

We, of course, think of a garden as something<br />

you step into out of the back door, but not<br />

here. Here you are talking about an hour’s hike<br />

up a hillside on narrow muddy tracks, often<br />

machete in hand to clear the way. We stopped<br />

at the old chief’s house and were shown into a<br />

traditional hut where the chief sat in the dark<br />

on homemade matting, his elderly wife close<br />

by. Willy interpreted for us and the chief was<br />

clearly delighted to see us, his eyes twinkled<br />

and he grasped our hands, unwilling to let go.<br />

When we gave him our simple gifts of rice,<br />

sugar and salt he immediately invited us to eat<br />

with him. We declined saying we hadn’t come<br />

to be a burden and, wishing him well, went on<br />

our way. Towards the end of our walk we were<br />

led to a clearing in the hillside where a fire had<br />

been lit and beside it, on banana leaves, a meal<br />

had been prepared for us – coconuts, bananas,<br />

taro and island cabbage that had been cooked<br />

in bamboo, all at the chief’s behest. Just one of<br />

the very many, special things that have happened<br />

to us when we have chosen to spend time with<br />

local people we have met along the way. Again<br />

new acquaintances and people we will search<br />

out next time we are here.<br />

But we also have a conundrum. We are<br />

welcomed into people’s villages and homes<br />

and so it feels right to reciprocate and welcome<br />

them aboard Sea Rover, which we have done on<br />

many occasions in anchorages where we feel<br />

comfortable. However, we were struck by Mamu,<br />

a young girl who had been our guide, explaining<br />

the dances and their significance at one festival.<br />

When we dinghied her out to our boat, a�er<br />

looking around she announced she didn’t want<br />

to go home. It was a joke but there was an<br />

edge to it. Had we sown the seeds of discontent,<br />

showing her a life she couldn’t have, a life she<br />

will see more of as satellite dishes are beginning<br />

to appear in some, once remote, villages?<br />

Inviting people into our home still feels ‘right’<br />

and something we will continue to do. It certainly<br />

seemed appreciated and those who came out<br />

enjoyed the interaction with the boats anchored<br />

off shore.<br />

Our conversations with him were fascinating,<br />

ranging from his liaison role with the police on<br />

the issues of domestic violence (apparently a<br />

real problem within Melanesian society) to how<br />

he saw the future of Kastom. For many citizens<br />

of Vanuatu – ni-Van as they are known – Kastom<br />

is an essential part of their national identity.<br />

This is particularly the case in rural areas,<br />

but these traditions are increasingly threatened<br />

by development – both good and bad – and<br />

Vanuatu appeared to us to be at a crux where<br />

much that is now authentic could soon become<br />

merely a tourist spectacle. Graham appeared<br />

to appreciate what was at stake and that there<br />

are no easy answers, certainly not the glib ones<br />

we heard from some we met.<br />

Once again we were sad to be moving on,<br />

leaving ‘yachtie’ friends and new acquaintances<br />

ashore, as we prepared to sail the 1,200 miles<br />

to Australia. Our life has become one of constant<br />

farewells, the wave good bye and the salutation<br />

of “See you down the track”, one of sincere hope<br />

but not always expectation. Vanuatu is a country,<br />

which has enthralled us and we promise ourselves<br />

that we will return before reluctantly leaving the<br />

South Pacific.<br />

So as we headed for Australia, looking forward<br />

to Christmas and New Year in Sydney and<br />

meeting up with cruising friends (our floating<br />

village in the South Pacific!) we were reminded<br />

that we were headed for the country that once<br />

spawned the TV soap ‘Neighbours’ with the<br />

cheesy but apposite theme tune extolling<br />

‘... when good neighbours become good<br />

friends’. We can’t help but think that may<br />

well sum up one of many special aspects<br />

of our cruising life.<br />

Mike and Devala Robinson’s account of their<br />

Cruising Life on board Sea Rover has also been<br />

published by the Royal Cruising Club.<br />

Photos: Mike and Devala Robinson<br />

WINTER 2011 105


106<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

The Studio will manage your interior design scheme from<br />

concept to installation, before handing over a beautifully<br />

considered home. Our dedicated team is available to consult<br />

on projects large or small.<br />

For a consultation in one of our private client suites, please visit<br />

The Studio at Harrods, Third Floor. For further information<br />

call +44 (0)20 7225 5926 or visit thestudioatharrods.com


CLUB<br />

THE<br />

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:",$(;*+(3%75/*$%$+%EG1"(1>"("$;'%A/.,#%10L%*+0L"$"+0#%1::(;<br />

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WINTER 2011 107


108<br />

2004 <strong>Oyster</strong> 82 Bare Necessities<br />

Immaculately maintained, regardless of cost, by the same skipper who oversaw<br />

her build. A truly striking yacht, with metallic blue hull and pearlescent mast, her<br />

powerful cutter rig with fully battened mainsail and hydraulic headsail furling<br />

£2,600,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: UK South Coast<br />

PRICE REDUCED<br />

2006 <strong>Oyster</strong> 82 TillyMint<br />

We are pleased to announce a massive £400,000 price drop on the stunning<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 82 TillyMint. �is yacht has been luxuriously appointed with all optional<br />

equipment and extras that you would expect on board a vessel of this class. Built to<br />

MCA charter standards but equally at home for private use. Her stunning interior<br />

£2,350,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: <strong>Oyster</strong> UK<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage Ltd: Fox’s Marina Ipswich Suffolk IP2 8SA UK<br />

T: +44 (0)1473 695100 F: +44 (0)1473 695120 E: brokerage@oystermarine.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage USA: Newport Shipyard One Washington Street Newport RI 02840 USA<br />

T: +1 401 846 7400 F: +1 401 846 7483 E: info@oystermarine.com<br />

SAIL | BROKERAGE | CHARTER | REFIT<br />

www.oysterbrokerage.com<br />

provides exceptional performance with minimum effort. She sleeps up to ten in five<br />

cabins, and has elegant and contemporary maple joinery. With exceptional charter<br />

potential, she also boasts the most comprehensive inventory seen on an <strong>Oyster</strong> 82.<br />

has been further enhanced this summer with brand new cream leather upholstery<br />

which complements her elegant classic mahogany joinery. Her panoramic deck<br />

saloon views, her light and airy interior and her proven seaworthiness and comfort<br />

truly make her the ultimate liveaboard yacht.


2006 <strong>Oyster</strong> 72 Holo Kai<br />

OYSTER BROKERAGE – THE SPECIALISTS IN PRE- OWNED OYSTER YACHTS<br />

Elegant <strong>Oyster</strong> 72 with cutter rig and hydraulic in-mast furling. Sumptuous interior<br />

finished in maple with contrasting teak floorboards giving a light and contemporary<br />

feel under the sleek deck saloon. She is fully equipped for use as a family yacht or<br />

charter business.<br />

£2,350,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: Caribbean<br />

2005 <strong>Oyster</strong> 72 Spirit of Montpelier<br />

�e fastest <strong>Oyster</strong> ever <strong>launched</strong>, this is a very special <strong>Oyster</strong> 72 with a rare<br />

combination of searing pace and luxury. �e owner is keen to move her on quickly<br />

and ready to negotiate, bring offers – you may be surprised!<br />

£2,000,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: West Med<br />

2007 <strong>Oyster</strong> 72 Cookielicious<br />

Eye catching <strong>Oyster</strong> 72, cutter rigged with in-mast furling. She offers a modern feel<br />

thanks to her maple joinery, teak floorboards and leather upholstery. Highly specified<br />

and branded with a striking orange theme. She has built up a successful charter<br />

record. Offered in first class turn-key condition.<br />

£2,200,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: UK South Coast<br />

NEW LISTING<br />

Please visit the <strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage team at the London Boat Show on the <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

stand, no. H161 in the Boat Hall, where we have the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 575 on show.<br />

We will also have an <strong>Oyster</strong> 46 and an <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 on the water at berth no. M116 & M117.<br />

Please call us ahead of your visit to make an appointment to view these yachts.<br />

Tel: +44 (0)1473 695 100 or email us at brokerage@oystermarine.com<br />

We will also be attending Boot Düsseldorf, where we have a new <strong>Oyster</strong> 54<br />

and new <strong>Oyster</strong> 625 on show. You will find us on the <strong>Oyster</strong> stand no. C58.<br />

2008 <strong>Oyster</strong> 72 Stravaig of Argyll<br />

Specified with breathtaking attention to detail, from the black carbon spars, to her<br />

carbon wheels, and custom deck fittings. Beautiful interior in teak, with accommodation<br />

for ten in five cabins. Four times Winner of <strong>Oyster</strong>’s Concours d’Elégance, this is an<br />

immaculate yacht, suitable for luxury charter or family sailing.<br />

£2,500,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: West Med<br />

WINTER 2011 109


110<br />

NEW LISTING<br />

2008 <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 Lush<br />

Featuring a walk-thru passage to the forepeak cabin with two additional berths (total<br />

of eleven), Lush has a very flexible layout. American oak interior and teak parquet sole<br />

with Anthrancite (black) Alcantara cushions in the saloon and coordinated Avonite<br />

Nightpearl countertops in the galley. In the water and ready for her next adventure.<br />

US$2,750,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: Ft Lauderdale FL, USA<br />

NEW LISTING<br />

2011 <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 Rachel of London<br />

�is is one of the most detailed and glamorous <strong>Oyster</strong> 655s we have produced to<br />

date. Light maple joinery with teak floor and trims. She is cutter rigged with in-mast<br />

furling. Rachel is now for sale to make way for a new larger <strong>Oyster</strong>. �is is a very<br />

unusual opportunity to buy an exquisite yacht that is little more than ‘run in’.<br />

£2,200,000 VAT paid<br />

Lying: UK South Coast<br />

2007 <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 Roulette v2<br />

Special high performance version of the popular <strong>Oyster</strong> 655, built with foam<br />

cored interior joinery to save weight whilst retaining strength, also taller than<br />

standard carbon fibre rig with swept back spreaders for improved sailing.<br />

Impeccably maintained by full time skipper to the highest standard.<br />

£1,700,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: East Med<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage Ltd: Fox’s Marina Ipswich Suffolk IP2 8SA UK<br />

T: +44 (0)1473 695100 F: +44 (0)1473 695120 E: brokerage@oystermarine.com<br />

www.oysterbrokerage.com<br />

2008 <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 Restless<br />

Teak interior joinery with routered teak sole along with Amberglow Alcantara cushions<br />

make for a stunning interior that has both depth and a light feel. Back from a jaunt<br />

across the Pacific with recent 2010 performance sails including a Gennaker and custom<br />

stainless steel bowsprit and carbon pole, she is lightly used and shows very well.<br />

US$2,835,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: Newport RI, USA<br />

2007 <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 Acheron<br />

Beautiful <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 with American cherry interior joinery and Sea Sand Alcantara<br />

upholstery. Eight berths in four cabins afford her guests and crew sumptuous<br />

accommodation in all weathers. Cutter rig with hydraulic in-mast furling. An easily<br />

handled yacht that has been skipper maintained since her launch in 2007.<br />

£1,790,000 VAT paid<br />

Lying: West Med<br />

2007 <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 Blue Destiny<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage USA: Newport Shipyard One Washington Street Newport RI 02840 USA<br />

T: +1 401 846 7400 F: +1 401 846 7483 E: info@oystermarine.com<br />

SAIL | BROKERAGE | CHARTER | REFIT<br />

�e first of the 655s and built to MCA charter specifications. �e interior joinery<br />

is finished in American white oak with superb owner’s detailing. In-mast mainsail,<br />

hydraulic furling and electric winches make this a safe, easy to handle oceangoing<br />

yacht.<br />

£1,650,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: West Med


OYSTER BROKERAGE – THE SPECIALISTS IN PRE- OWNED OYSTER YACHTS<br />

NEW LISTING PRICE REDUCED<br />

2008 <strong>Oyster</strong> 62 UHURU<br />

Fresh from a refit, UHURU is a striking <strong>Oyster</strong> g5 62.<br />

�e recently re-sprayed dark blue hull ensures she is a<br />

real head turner. �is yacht is extensively equipped and<br />

complete with extra equipment to enable world sailing<br />

and exploring the high and low latitudes.<br />

£1,395,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: UK South Coast<br />

NEW LISTING<br />

2005 <strong>Oyster</strong> 49 Florence<br />

Florence is a beautiful example of the popular <strong>Oyster</strong> 49.<br />

Finished in maple joinery and equipment includes electric<br />

winches, bow thruster, generator, water maker, heating,<br />

radar/chart plotter. She is fitted with a fully battened<br />

mainsail and StakPack system.<br />

£499,000 VAT paid<br />

Lying: UK South Coast<br />

Sistership<br />

2006 <strong>Oyster</strong> LD43 Needia<br />

LD43 motor cruiser, professionally maintained by full time<br />

skipper. Needia has twin 480hp Yanmar diesels and<br />

offers superb high-speed sea keeping abilities that make<br />

for effortless long distance cruising. �e twin Hamilton<br />

water jet propulsion system enables easy manoeuvrability.<br />

£330,000 VAT paid<br />

Lying: <strong>Oyster</strong> UK<br />

2005 <strong>Oyster</strong> 56 Into the Blue<br />

Specified by experienced <strong>Oyster</strong> owners, with a view to<br />

long distance, short-handed, bluewater sailing. Hydraulic<br />

furling main, genoa and jib make sail handling a breeze,<br />

whilst below decks she has oak joinery, sleeps six in three<br />

cabins and has a dedicated workshop.<br />

£575,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: <strong>Oyster</strong> UK<br />

2003 <strong>Oyster</strong> 47 Kindness<br />

Kindness is a stunning yacht. One owner from new,<br />

who has lavished care and attention to the boat since<br />

the build process. A joy to sail, fantastic storage and living<br />

space and superb quality too. Only for sale as owner<br />

has purchased a larger <strong>Oyster</strong> to extend his adventures.<br />

£360,000 VAT paid<br />

Lying: <strong>Oyster</strong> UK<br />

NEW LISTING<br />

2009 Swan 66 S Planeta<br />

Beautiful example of this sleek, high performance cruiser<br />

with clean deck layout and shallow keel. First class deck<br />

and rig equipment; carbon spars, PBO rigging and<br />

electric winches. She sleeps eight in four cabins and is<br />

very well equipped and comfortable below decks.<br />

€2,950,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: West Med<br />

Please visit the <strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage team at the London Boat Show on the <strong>Oyster</strong><br />

stand, no. H161 in the Boat Hall, where we have the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 575 on show.<br />

We will also have an <strong>Oyster</strong> 46 and an <strong>Oyster</strong> 655 on the water at berth no. M116 & M117.<br />

Please call us ahead of your visit to make an appointment to view these yachts.<br />

Tel: +44 (0)1473 695 100 or email us at brokerage@oystermarine.com<br />

We will also be attending Boot Düsseldorf, where we have a new <strong>Oyster</strong> 54<br />

and new <strong>Oyster</strong> 625 on show. You will find us on the <strong>Oyster</strong> stand no. C58.<br />

2005 <strong>Oyster</strong> 53 Principessa of London<br />

Specified by an experienced owner with ease of handling<br />

a priority – cutter rigged with electric genoa and in-mast<br />

furling. Superb interior with larger than standard saloon.<br />

Sleeping accommodation comprises two large double<br />

staterooms and a separate workshop/cabin.<br />

£500,000 VAT paid<br />

Lying: West Med<br />

2010 <strong>Oyster</strong> 46 Astraeus of Mersea<br />

Astraeus has predominatly been used as <strong>Oyster</strong>’s<br />

demonstrator. She is highly equipped and complete with<br />

many features and upgrades to represent the best of <strong>Oyster</strong>.<br />

Set up for short-handed sailing and in excellent condition,<br />

Astraeus represents significant savings over new.<br />

£550,000 ex VAT<br />

Lying: <strong>Oyster</strong> UK<br />

1988 <strong>Oyster</strong> 55 Arabella<br />

A great example of the classic <strong>Oyster</strong> 55. Constantly<br />

upgraded and maintained by an experienced yachtsman,<br />

she is in very good condition and ready to undertake<br />

many more sea miles. Simple furling rig, and traditional<br />

teak joinery below with eight berths in four cabins.<br />

£275,000 VAT paid<br />

Lying: Channel Islands<br />

WINTER 2011 111


112<br />

On their way...<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 54 Babe<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

<strong>Recently</strong> handed over to Paul and Trish Ducker, Babe has a maple interior. Paul and Trish were<br />

very involved with their build visiting the moulders and the Windboats Marine fit out yard many<br />

times during the build, where they made many friends. �ey thoroughly enjoyed the whole<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> experience from start to finish. �ey are amongst the 34 yacht fleet entered for the<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> World Rally and will keep the boat in the Canary Islands until they depart for the start<br />

in Antigua in January 2013.<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 575<br />

Dreamer of Hamble<br />

A�er a spirited handover sail with<br />

gusts of up to 35 knots and heavy<br />

rainsqualls, Dreamer of Hamble<br />

was recently handed over to her<br />

owner Chris Glossop. Whilst it wasn’t<br />

the most pleasant of days, it was an<br />

ideal opportunity to really show off<br />

the yacht’s capabilities in heavy<br />

weather. Just what you need when<br />

she is set to join the World ARC Fleet<br />

setting out from the Canaries this<br />

year. Chris is ready to embark on a<br />

Round �e World Adventure with<br />

three old sailing friends. His family<br />

will join them at various locations<br />

around the world.<br />

“Trish and I had such a wonderful time both watching<br />

Babe being built and equally getting to know you all.<br />

We are so pleased and proud, knowing and seeing<br />

firsthand the craftsmanship, care and attention to detail<br />

that you have all put into making our lifetime dream<br />

a reality – it’s a real testament to you all.” Paul Ducker<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 54<br />

Carmenzita<br />

Carmenzita is the second<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 54 to be completed at<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong>’s Norfolk yard, Windboats<br />

Marine and is owned by Herbert<br />

and Carmen Bodner. She is<br />

beautifully fitted out in maple,<br />

with high gloss avonite and a<br />

brown leather interior giving her<br />

a very light and contemporary feel<br />

below decks. Herbert and Carmen<br />

plan to sail her down to the<br />

Mediterranean, via Guernsey,<br />

where they will spend most of their<br />

time, while future cruising plans<br />

may include an Atlantic crossing.


<strong>Oyster</strong> 575 Satika<br />

�omas and Esther Meseck from Switzerland previously<br />

owned a Beneteau 57, which they used extensively for family<br />

sailing, including two Atlantic crossings. �e new <strong>Oyster</strong> 575<br />

Satika (named a�er the Meseck’s three daughters: Sandra,<br />

Tina and Karin) has been planned with a world adventure<br />

in mind and she will spend the winter season in the Balearic<br />

Islands before crossing the Atlantic in 2012 ready to join the<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> World Rally fleet in Antigua.<br />

ON THEIR WAY<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 625 Bandido<br />

Handed over to Roger Soukup and Edwin<br />

Samayoa from California in October,<br />

Bandido is a beautiful cutter-rigged<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 625 exquisitely finished in maple with<br />

pale leather upholstery. She is the second<br />

of the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 625s to be <strong>launched</strong> and<br />

was recently displayed to great acclaim at<br />

the Ijmuiden and Southampton Boat Shows.<br />

Roger and Edwin wanted a boat that was<br />

big enough to enable fast, comfortable<br />

passage-making, but small enough to sail<br />

together, without the need for a crew –<br />

and the new <strong>Oyster</strong> 625 is the perfect<br />

yacht for them. Bandido will join the fleet<br />

of <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong> taking part in this year’s ARC,<br />

before heading to Florida, where she will<br />

be on display at the Miami International<br />

Boat Show in February.<br />

A�er summer on the US East Coast, Roger<br />

and Edwin plan to base Bandido near<br />

their home in California in time to enjoy<br />

the America’s Cup, which will be held in<br />

San Francisco in 2013. Roger and Edwin are<br />

just amazed by Bandido – the way she sails,<br />

the way she looks and the careful attention<br />

to detail that is evident everywhere you look.<br />

<strong>Recently</strong> <strong>launched</strong> <strong><strong>Oyster</strong>s</strong><br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> 46 Lovely Jubbly<br />

Having previously owned a Beneteau 40.7,<br />

Steve Knight and his partner Rosanna are now<br />

enjoying spending some time away from work<br />

in the luxury and comfort of their new <strong>Oyster</strong> 46.<br />

Lovely Jubbly was built at <strong>Oyster</strong>’s Landamores<br />

yard and has a beautiful and contemporary<br />

American white oak interior with white upholstery.<br />

Lovely Jubbly will spend the winter in Guernsey<br />

but Steve has long term live-aboard cruising plans<br />

in mind and is hoping to participate in the 2013<br />

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.<br />

WINTER 2011 113


114<br />

OYSTER NEWS<br />

We are grateful to our marine industry suppliers for not only helping us<br />

to build great yachts but also for supporting our events and regattas.<br />

Bespoke quality sails and<br />

canvas work, UK manufactured.<br />

Matthew Vincent<br />

T: +44 (0)1255 243 366<br />

E: sails@dolphin-sails.com<br />

www.dolphinsails.com<br />

International yacht consultants<br />

specialising in yacht management.<br />

Declan O’Sullivan<br />

T: +44 (0)1624 819 867<br />

E: dos@pelagosyachts.com<br />

www.pelagosyachts.com<br />

Performance Masts,<br />

Engineered to Perfection.<br />

T: +31 (0) 527 29 1989<br />

E: info@formula-marine.com<br />

www.formula-marine.com<br />

� e world’s leading<br />

manufacturer in recreational<br />

marine electronics.<br />

Andy Davies<br />

T: +44 (0)23 9271 4700<br />

E: andy.davies@raymarine.com<br />

www.raymarine.com<br />

Leading sailboat and<br />

powerboat hardware supplier<br />

for the leisure marine industry.<br />

Roger Cerrato<br />

T: +44 (0)23 9247 1841<br />

E: rcerrato@lewmar.com<br />

www.lewmar.com<br />

Reefi ng systems<br />

and hydraulics.<br />

Marcus Schuldt<br />

T: +49 (0)41 013 849 27<br />

E: m.schuldt@reckmann.com<br />

www.reckmann.com<br />

Optimal coverage for your yacht,<br />

your assets and your paid crew.<br />

John McCurdy, OBE<br />

T: +44 (0)1752 223 656<br />

E: info@pantaenius.co.uk<br />

www.pantaenius.co.uk<br />

Truly global satellite tracking<br />

for yachts and yacht races.<br />

T: +44 (0)845 619 8252<br />

E: sales@yellowbrick-tracking.com<br />

www.yellowbrick-tracking.com


<strong>Oyster</strong> Marine Ltd<br />

Tel: +44 (0)1473 688 888<br />

Sales Team: Tel: +44 (0)1473 695 005<br />

Customer Support: Tel: +44 (0)1473 690 198<br />

Email: yachts@oystermarine.com<br />

www.oystermarine.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Marine USA<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage USA<br />

Tel: +1 401 846 7400<br />

Email: info@oystermarine.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Marine Germany<br />

Tel: +49 40 644 008 80<br />

Email: yachten@oystermarine.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Marine Palma<br />

Tel: +34 871 703 620<br />

Email: customerservice@oystermarine.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Representatives<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Marine in Asia<br />

Bart Kimman<br />

Tel: +852 2815 0404<br />

Email: bart.kimman@oystermarine.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Marine in Australia<br />

Michael Bell<br />

Tel: +61 (0)2 9997 7133<br />

Email: michael.bell@oystermarine.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Marine in Russia<br />

Oscar Konyukhov<br />

Tel: +7 925 771 29 91<br />

Email: oscar.konyukhov@oystermarine.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Marine in Ukraine<br />

Alex Krykanyuk<br />

Tel: +38 (0)512 580 540<br />

Email: alex.krykanyuk@oystermarine.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Charter<br />

Tel: +1 401 846 7400<br />

Email: molly.marston@oystermarine.com<br />

www.oystercharter.com<br />

<strong>Oyster</strong> Brokerage Ltd<br />

Tel: +44 (0)1473 695 100<br />

Email: brokerage@oystermarine.com<br />

www.oysterbrokerage.com<br />

Southampton Yacht Services Ltd<br />

Tel: +44 (0)23 8033 5266<br />

Email: sales@southamptonyachtservices.co.uk<br />

www.southamptonyachtservices.co.uk


www.oystermarine.com

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